The PAS ulama council today hit out at Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim over his suggestion that election campaigns might have been funded by revenue from gambling activities, saying the bigger question was Pakatan Harapan's (PH) reported receipt of foreign funds.

"The matter was revealed by the president of the International Republican Institute, Daniel Twining, after the 14th general election," the council's chief Ahmad Yahya said in a statement.

"This allegation is more dangerous as it exposes national sovereignty to foreign interests. The irony is that there is still no investigation or complete answer to the question." 

Twining made the claim in July 2018, saying at a forum that his organisation had been attempting to "strengthen" opposition parties in the country since 2002. 

PKR and DAP later denied receiving foreign funds from the National Endowment for Democracy.

Anwar, the PKR president, made the suggestion of campaigns funded by the proceeds of gambling activities at a press conference after chairing his first Cabinet meeting in Putrajaya on Dec 5, without naming any parties or politicians.  

PAS later said that Perikatan Nasional (PN) was considering legal action against him and urged him to provide concrete proof of his claim.

Speaking today, Ahmad said the PN administrations at the state level had been abundantly clear in its stance on gambling. 

"The Kedah government under PN remains steadfast in its commitment to close down gambling centres throughout the state from 2023 onwards, in line with the steps taken in Kelantan and Terengganu. 

"Since when have gambling companies been so friendly with PN to the extent that they are willing to fund its election campaigns?"

https://www.malaysianow.com/news/2022/12/07/what-about-foreign-funding-pas-ulama-council-slams-ph