Bersatu Youth lodges police report against Anwar over claims that Perikatan’s GE15 campaign funded by gambling companies

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 7 — Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia Youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Kamal lodged today a police report over Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for accusing Perikatan Nasional's (PN) general election (GE15) campaign was partly funded by gambling companies.

Speaking to reporters outside Dang Wangi District Police Headquarters (IPD), he said the prime minister was trying to play a perception game by accusing PN had received questionable funds.

“It’s a political game by Anwar Ibrahim to build a perception as if we had received money from the gambling companies,” he said.

Wan Fayhsal, who is also PN deputy youth chief, said that Anwar was trying to tarnish the coalition’s image and woo the Malay voters that are casting their ballots now in Padang Serai and Tioman.

“I’m confident that the voters will not buy into the accusations. As it has been denied by our central leadership,” he added.

Despite his assertion, Anwar had suggested that PN's campaign may have been funded by government revenue from number forecast operators' special lottery draws, rather than funds raised by gambling companies.

Wan Fayhsal pointed out that the finance minister who oversaw all the relief packages during the Covid-19 crisis was Senator Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, who was now the international trade and industry minister.

“If he (Anwar) wants to know the truth of the matter, he should just ask his minister, Tengku Zafrul, who was part of the (previous) Cabinet.

“He was in charge during the whole period of those packages being issued by the government (then),” he said.

When asked whether PN would disclose its political funding sources to dispel the claims, he said it would not do so as no others have done.

Instead, he said PN would be open to discussing the proposed law on political funding that would require such information.

“If that (political funding law) is the priority, so be it,” he said.

The political funding law was supposed to be tabled last month but Parliament was dissolved before it could happen.

Currently, political parties are governed by the Registrar of Societies through the Societies Act 1966. However, the Act does not require societies or political parties to reveal their sources of funding.

Political funding refers to how political parties and individual politicians raise money for election campaigns, their daily operations and other activities.