Ex-Umno man seeks to mend rifts in PR coalition
(The Straits Times) KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 12 – Lawyer Zaid Ibrahim once sued the opposition Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) for enacting hudud laws, or the Islamic penal code, that prescribed punishments like stoning for adultery.
Today, he is an ally of PAS.
There is no contradiction, Zaid, 58, tells The Straits Times. He was an Umno member when he challenged the legality of the hudud enacted in Terengganu by PAS after it captured the state in the 1999 general election.
The case was eventually dropped as Umno feared that it would lose the votes of Muslims in the 2004 general election.
“My stand was that a state cannot enact criminal laws. That can be done only by the federal government under the Federal Constitution,” Zaid said.
To him, hudud laws are criminal laws and not mere Islamic laws.
He still holds the view today. In fact, he believes that this is the solution to many of the problems plaguing the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) alliance.
Zaid joined Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) in June, and has been asked to help mend rifts in the squabbling coalition.
PAS wants to enforce moral policing and Islamic laws, but the Democratic Action Party (DAP) objects to this.
He said adherence to the Constitution and laws can resolve the impasse that PAS and the Chinese-based DAP repeatedly face over issues relating to Islamic law.
He also said there can be no compulsion in religion. “I believe that PAS subscribes to these principles too. Islamic laws will be the trickiest area to sort out, but I believe we can do so,” he said.
He is taking this legal approach in drawing up a charter as the first step to unite the fractious coalition. It will be ready by the end of the year.
He insisted that no party will be asked to forgo its ideology. “It’s about compliance with law and democracy,” he said.
The plan is a long shot, though. Disillusionment has set in with the opposition since it made big gains in the general election last year.
This is the first time that PAS and DAP have had to govern together, and they have fumbled repeatedly.
DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang said in an interview this week with Sin Chew Daily that the people’s confidence in the PR alliance had been shaken, and that the Islamic state is the biggest obstacle.
Zaid’s crossover to the opposition had stirred interest as it was speculated that he was being groomed as an alternative leader.
Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is still battling a sodomy case, although the imminent threat of jail has faded. The trial is plodding through preliminary issues.
The lawyer dismissed this. He said he will not even run in the PKR elections next year as “it would be too difficult”.
Zaid said his focus was now on drawing up the charter. “It’s the precursor to registering Pakatan as a formal coalition,” he said. That will be difficult, though, as administrative guidelines require at least seven parties to form a coalition. The PR comprises just three.
Zaid remains optimistic about PR, even as it is still struggling with the basics like deciding on a clear hierarchy of leadership. There is an understanding that Datuk Seri Anwar would be the prime minister, should PR win federal power.
But beyond that, there is no agreement, not even for a shadow Cabinet.
“We are committed to staying together. That should give confidence to the voters,” Zaid insisted.
