Defending Awang Adek
I have received a number of emails questioning why I didn't publish an article about Awang Adek and his statement on football gambling made a week ago. Someone had also sent me a long list of (mostly negative) comments made on a mailing list by some old boys about the issue, asking me to publish them on this web site. To be frank, I decided not to publish them for a very simple reason - I believe in Awang Adek as a friend and as another old boy just like I believe in you.
The furor started when Awang Adek casually stated in Dewan Negara that the government was considering approving a license for football betting during the World Cup in June. In fact a few days later, the Federal Government approved a license to one of Berjaya companies for this purpose. And suddenly Awang Adek became victim of his own statement. Hussam called him A-wang Judi and on another site a blogger accused him of "bringing shame to all Kelantanese". These accusations might be vicious but they were made by his political opponents and expected. But when venomous remarks were made by friends and schoolmates then something is obviously wrong with us.
The biggest problem with Awang Adek is he is too nice. Too trustworthy. And his statement about the gambling license was too straight forward as if he was the one issuing the license. Anyone else, especially another politician, would not have made such a straigh forward statement. Another politician would have added a few sentences here and there and then if you read it you would not find anything wrong with the government issuing another gambling license. But not Awang Adek.
I have known Awang Adek for a long time. As a schoolmate. As my train captain back in the 70s. As a Bank Negara officer back in the 80s (my office was across the road from his). As a politician and as a STAROBA president. He was one of those nice guys in school. And still a nice guy out of school. When he was our train leader everything was perfectly in order. But when someone else took over in 1974, the new leader conspired with some of us to split the warrant into individual tickets, sold some of them for immediate profit and in the end we were caught in Gemas without tickets but with a few extra ringgit in our pockets. Awang Adek would not have thought of doing this. And we could not coax him into doing it either.
He was one of the very few who could somehow find space on that narrow train to perform his prayer during that long train journey back to Kelantan. I could not and so were many others. One day last year I went to see him at Kementerian Kewangan in a last desperate attempt to fend off a bank - my company was in a bad shape and I needed help. It was lunch break and time for afternoon prayer. He asked me to wait while he unrolled his prayer rug for the afternoon prayer. Time changes, status changes but piety doesn't. Of course, he wrote that appeal letter to the bank concerned and as expected the bank refused to consider it. But at least he tried. And that's what friends are for.
On that unfortunate day in Dewan Negara, Awang Adek was replying to a question from another senator. I don't know whether it was a written or verbal question but normally questions on gambling are answered by a non-Muslim Minister or Deputy Minister. I was told the gentleman who was supposed to answer that question, a non-Muslim Deputy Minister was overseas so Awang Adek had to stand for him. Forgotten by many was his qualifying remark - the license was meant for non-Muslims only.
Muslims are by law, forbidden from gambling at state-sanctioned or legalised gambling outlets. There are signboards at these outlets advising Muslims about this. Penalty varies by state but in Wilayah Persekutuan you might be fined RM3,000.00 for the offence. The signboard or notice is not much difference from the one you see at some non-Muslim shops selling alcohol in Kelantan. Yes, they do sell alcohol in Kelantan. Yes they do issue alcohol licenses in Kelantan. In fact, the state PAS MB in a statement made a few years ago to justify this, said alcohol sale was permissible to non-Muslims and taxes collected would be used to repair roads etc . As a Kelantanese, I do not find anything wrong with it. In fact, I do not think of Nik Aziz as a confused Muslim for allowing alcohol to be sold in the state. As long as the state forbids the sale of alcohol to Muslims my respect for Nik Aziz would not diminish. If I could not find fault with Nik Aziz then I could not find any fault with Awang Adek either. Nik Aziz is a head of state (and chairs the state cabinet or what we normally call Exco) but Awang Adek is not. Factually, Awang Adek is not even a member of the Federal Cabinet where the decision to legalise football gambling was probably made. To accuse Awang Adek goes a bit too far.
I am sure Awang Adek is opposed to gambling in whatever form. Just like I am sure most PAS Exco members in Kelantan are opposed to alcohol sale in whatever form. But then we do not live in a perfect world.