When a news portal cited a recent Bloomberg report that Malaysia may be contemplating allowing a casino to be built in the RM450 billion Forest City project in Johor, almost certainly it would have made many jaws in the country to drop!
Sure enough, among the first to react was the opposition party Bersatu’s rambunctious youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal who asked sarcastically in a Facebook post: is building a mega casino what Madani economy is all about?
Of course, on the other hand, the more progressive and pragmatic ones may snap back: if Genting can bring in tax revenue of around RM5 billion annually to the nation’s coffers, surely the proposed casino in Johor should bring in at least half of that, wouldn't it?
For context, the controversial Forest City casino was allegedly proposed to be part of a massive development plan for the much-vaunted Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (SEZ) - which offers special tax rates and visas - and which incorporates an integrated commercial and investment hub to ease movement of goods and people between the two countries.
In fact, earlier it was reported that PM Anwar Ibrahim had allegedly met Berjaya Corporation founder Vincent Tan as well as Genting Group chairman and chief executive Lim Kok Thay as recently as two weeks ago in connection with the proposed plan. However, PMX has since called it “not true” while Vincent Tan's office has dismissed it as “not accurate.”
To add spice to the story, it alleged that a representative of Johor Sultan Ibrahim, who began a five-year term as Malaysia’s King in January, had also attended the meeting. However, the state Menteri Besar has rubbished the report saying that the ruler was never in favour of it.
The report went on to state that the meeting was allegedly held during PM Anwar’s recent April 18 visit to Johor, during which he had proclaimed that the southern state would be Malaysia’s most developed with economic growth outpacing the rest of the country; nevertheless, it did stress that the proposal for a casino was only “discussed” and not finalised.
Of course, there is little doubt that the very mention of the word “casino” is guaranteed to spark a fierce backlash from the conservative Malay-Muslim majority in the country whom Anwar's unity government has been cracking its head to win over.
Having said that, gaming was reportedly one of the key sectors to be promoted under the SEZ project for Forest City which is expected to be a boon for the 2,000ha township as well as for the wider Johor economy. It's also believed that the alleged second casino was not expected to affect the existing one in Genting Highlands given the former's proximity to Singapore.
Another interesting point is that though building a casino is understandably a highly sensitive issue in the country as Islam categorically prohibits gambling, proponents of the said plan will be quick to point out that the existing casino in Genting Highlands, Pahang has been operating for more than half a century now without any serious objection or complaints; this is probably because of the stringent regulations in place there to bar Muslim patrons from entering the gaming sections; and in reality, so far it has been a happy, win-win situation for all.
Furthermore, with Anwar having now successfully consolidated his power base and enjoying a two-thirds majority in parliament, proponents of a casino as a “game changer” to the economy may argue that there can't be a more opportune moment to discuss such an audacious plan in spite of the expected stiff resistance from pro-nationalists and religious hardliners - not to mention the impending Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election in Selangor.
In truth, in an age when the global economic landscape has become so unpredictable, vulnerable to headwinds and tough to navigate, the Madani government is clearly under severe pressure to take the cue from the more economically successful nations to be more robust and innovative in its approach.
But will Anwar, with his own strict religious convictions, continue to succumb to the usual “gaslighting” by his cunning opponents who are well-known for riding on race and religion?
A case in point was the recent Taylor Swift concert which had been widely acknowledged as a missed opportunity for the country to boost its tourism industry and replenish its stagnant reserves. So, what exactly did stop them from “going all out” to secure the lucrative deal in the first place? Fear of a political backlash?
The bottom line is, considering the country has been struggling with perennial fiscal deficit plus debt and liabilities to the tune of some RM1.5 trillion - all inherited from previous governments - shouldn't PM Anwar, while being mindful of religious sensitivities, boldly explore every new opportunity for the sake of the country’s economy?
Information Source: The Straits Times
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