Don’t pass the buck on hudud, Mustapa tells PAS

(The Star) – PAS should explain why they are unable to implement hudud laws in Kelantan and not “pass the buck” to Umno at their convenience, said Kelantan Umno chief Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamad.

He said although the laws had been passed by the Kelantan state assembly in 1993, they were still in the “implementation” stages and were not enforced.

“Kelantan government even set up a hudud technical committee in October last year but until now it has yet to convene the first meeting. This proves that the state government is insincere in implementing such laws.

“Their flip-flop policies to set up an Islamic state and then switching to a welfare state shows inconsistency in their decisions which reflect the stand of their coalition partners on this thorny issue,” he told reporters after attending a Hari Raya open house organised by Kelantan Umno here yesterday.

Mustapa, who is also International Trade and Industry Minister, was asked to comment a front page report by a Malay daily quoting Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat as blaming Umno for being a stumbling block to implementing hudud laws in Kelantan.

Mustapa said it was not easy to implement such laws without any planning.

“It is also evident that those interested in implementing such laws did not focus on explaining to the masses the mechanics of the hudud laws,” he said.