Tengku Zafrul: Special lottery draw increase was a collective Cabinet decision

Former Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz has clarified that the 2021 decision to increase the frequency of special lottery draws to 22 times per year was a collective Cabinet responsibility. He noted that this decision included ministers from PAS who were serving in the government at that time.

Tengku Zafrul, currently a senior political adviser to the Prime Minister, explained that special draws have existed since 1999 and that a ceiling of 22 draws per year was established under the previous Barisan Nasional administration. He stated that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the government returned to this existing ceiling, a move that was officially communicated to Parliament.

Under the current Madani administration led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the number of special draws has been reduced to eight times per year. Tengku Zafrul's comments come in response to allegations that he was personally responsible for the increase, a claim he dismissed by emphasizing the joint nature of the Cabinet's decision-making process.