Hudud: If PAS and Umno join hands…
Offering a hypothetical scenario to illustrate his point on hudud, MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek says if the two political superpowers come together, the rest will be rendered impotent.
“Not only PKR and DAP, even MCA would be impotent to do anything [about it]. Because PAS and Umno members combined are more than enough to form the government, let’s be honest about it,” he said.
RK Anand and Teoh El Sen, Free Malaysia Today
For MCA, its most potent weapon against its political adversaries is PAS’ theocratic ambitions.
MCA leaders constantly churn out press statements attacking both PAS and their traditional rival DAP over the possible implementation of hudud law, stoking fear in the hearts of the Chinese electorate.
In an exclusive interview with FMT yesterday, MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek explained why this issue was of grave concern.
The veteran politician, who has a string of police reports against him for raising thorny issues, offered a hypothetical scenario of PAS working with Umno in the event Pakatan Rakyat formed the federal government.
“PAS would reach out to Umno and tell them that we want to run this country according to the teachings in the Quran and no Muslim would try to go against it, including Umno MPs.
“Not only PKR and DAP, even MCA would be impotent to do anything [about it]. Because PAS and Umno members combined are more than enough to form the government, let’s be honest about it,” he said.
Asked if PAS would consider courting its traditional rival for the Malay vote-bank at the expense of the Islamic party’s partners in the opposition bloc, Chua did not rule out the possibility.
“In politics, I have learned one thing. The possible becomes impossible and the impossible can become possible,” he stressed.
Responding to another question, the MCA president said PAS was flexing its muscles in Pakatan and pointed to the contradictory statements from the leadership regarding the muzakarah or dialogue with Umno.
“[PAS spiritual leader] Nik Aziz [Nik Mat] says what he wants and [PAS president Abdul] Hadi Awang says what he wants.
“Two weeks ago, Nik Aziz says we should talk with Umno, we have this muzarakah for Muslim
unity but Hadi Awang says ‘no’. Who do you want to believe? Hadi Awang or Nik Aziz?
“Who is telling the truth anyway. Or who is calling the shots? A lot of people in PAS I know say that it is Nik Aziz who calls the shots, not Hadi Awang,” he added.
‘Answer my questions, DAP’
Chua also conceded that MCA was often accused of using the same old propaganda with regard to hudud but denied that it was a scare-tactic.
“We are not frightening the Chinese. We feel that we have an obligation to tell the Chinese the implications of hudud, which many Chinese don’t understand and they think it only affects the Muslims,” he said.
For the past four months, Chua said, he had been raising the same questions but no DAP leader wanted to answer him.
“Number one, could DAP please assure us that when PAS really implements hudud, the non-Muslims would not be affected. Yes or no? Simple as that. Why are you not answering me?
“Number two, the implementation of hudud would have a great negative impact on the social, economic, political, educational [aspects] and the whole social fabric of this country that would affect non-Muslims and Muslims. Why is DAP not answering my questions? Why are you hiding?” he asked.
When pointed out that Pakatan leaders claimed that hudud was not in the common policy framework or the election manifesto dubbed Buku Jingga, he replied: “Yeah, that’s up to the rakyat to believe or not.”
