ROMPIN: Perikatan Nasional (PN) admitted providing funds to its candidates contesting in the 15th General Election (GE15) campaign but dismissed allegations that the funding were from gambling companies.
PN secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said PN only gave RM50,000 for each candidate who contested in the GE15 under the coalition's banner.
"(Prime minister Datuk Seri) Anwar (Ibrahim) claimed that in PN's campaign, millions of ringgit were sourced from 'tauke judi' (gambling chiefs)...MasyaAllah.
"Yes, it is true we gave money. I am the PN secretary-general and there are many candidates in front of me....we only gave RM50,000 for each candidate. if I had the money from the 'kaki judi' (gamblers), I think (PN) will not only win 73 (seats), the BN's 30 (seats) we would have also 'sapu habis' (clean sweep).
"But because we did not have enough money. That is why we could not win that much," he said in his ceramah to campaign for the Tioman state seat election in Rompin town last night.
Hamzah however did not specify where the funds came from.
Yesterday, Anwar implied that PN's election funds partly came from gaming companies involved with special draws.
Meanwhile, Hamzah said it was Senator Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz who served as the finance minister during the leadership of Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
He said the decision on gambling companies' special draws lies in the hands of the finance minister and Tengku Zafrul has to provide answers.
"He (Anwar) said in the previous government there were 22 special draws. Who was the finance minister? Tengku Zafrul, you must ask Tengku Zafrul.
"Today (yesterday) the cabinet meeting was held and he(Anwar) announced the 22 special draws had been reduced to eight so what does this mean? It shows that only the finance minister had the authority in matters related to gambling (and) only the finance minister has the powers and you should ask Tengku Zafrul," he said.
Yesterday, Anwar announced that the government had agreed to cut down the frequency of the special draws from 22 to eight annually starting next year which had been raised by the previous government.