KUALA LUMPUR, March 14 (Bernama) -- Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today urged leaders in states controlled by the opposition pact to hold discussions with one another before enforcing a regulation or law.
Such a precautionary step would help them to avoid creating an uneasy atmosphere, he said, referring to the lottery ban in Kelantan which Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat has agreed to discuss with other leaders in the pact.
"Nik Aziz has agreed to discuss this at a meeting to be held on Thursday at the earliest," he told reporters after chairing a meeting of leaders of the opposition pact at his parliament office here.
He said that the representatives who would attend the meeting included MPs Loke Siew Fook (DAP-Rasah) and Tian Chua (PKR-Batu) and PAS secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali.
DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang, who attended today's meeting, said that his party, as a member of the pact, "respects the rights and sensitivities of all communities in the country."
"We -- PKR, PAS and DAP -- respect all races and religions and we have a joint policy that is our main focus," the MP for Ipoh Timur said.
"Although there are policies which differ, we will do our best to avoid making statements that can be misinterpreted by certain quarters," Lim added.
The ban became an issue when the local authorities in Kelantan issued summonses to two book shop owners who sold lottery tickets, leading to the accusation that the state PAS did not respect the rights of non-Muslims.
DAP president Karpal Singh subsequently urged the state government to lift the ban, saying that federal laws which covered Kelantan allowed non-Muslims to gamble.
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