ADAMANT ON HUDUD

By Sharanjit Singh and Audrey Dermawan, NST

KEPALA BATAS: Looks like there’s no stopping Pas spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat from talking on hudud, gag order or no gag order.

In fact, he is pushing the issue further — to make hudud a federal requirement.

The Kelantan menteri besar said he was praying In fact, he is pushing the issue further — to make hudud a federal requirement.

The Kelantan menteri besar said he was praying hard for the opposition grouping to get a two-thirds majority in Parliament as this would pave the way for hudud to be implemented.

The feisty veteran politician said hudud was compulsory in Islam and just as important as other obligations in the religion like praying, fasting, performing the haj and zakat.

Nik Aziz said he was puzzled why Malaysians could accept the death penalty, which was carried out by hanging for those convicted of capital offences but rejected the Islamic law which had very stringent requirements before one could be punished.

He also chided non-Muslims for fearing hudud and fiercely opposing it when the law was only meant for Muslims.

“In Kelantan, we have ruled for 20 years… have we killed a non-Muslim? No. Have we pulled one hair from their bodies? No.

“The law is for the syariah court … for Muslims. It is not in the civil cour t.” Nik Aziz was speaking at a press conference on the sideline of Pas’ 60th anniversary celebrations at Dewan Millenium here.

Present were party deputy president Mohamad Sabu and secretary- general Mustafa Ali.

Nik Aziz surprised Pas’ par tners in the opposition grouping recently when he resurrected the issue of setting up an Islamic state — the “pillar of Pas’ original struggle”— and implement hudud in Kelantan.

He said Pas was ready to have talks with its partners on the idea of an Islamic state and that his state government had laid out the foundation for hudud to be carried out.

This sparked a widely-publicised debate among them, with DAP chairman Karpal Singh questioning why the issuewas being brought up again and reiterating that its implementation was unconstitutional.

The DAP had also threatened to leave the opposition grouping if Pas persisted with its hudud stance.

Nik Aziz said the DAP could choose to do so and said he would not back down from this objective as it had been the pillar of Pas’ struggle since the party’s inception in 1951.

The opposition leaders held an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss the issue but came to no consensus.

In yesterday’s function, Nik Aziz said the DAP, although strongly against hudud, had accepted that Islamic law had been endorsed by the Kelantan and Terengganu state legislative assemblies.

Asked if he could see Pas ever working together with Umno, Nik Aziz said the party had done so in the past but had been “kicked out” when they (Umno) got stronger.

“I know you Umno… who you are!” he responded to the question in English, to the amusement of those present at the press conference.

Earlier, Pas president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang reiterated that the party would not force hudud on non-Muslims in the country.