MCA to Pakatan: State stand on PAS hudud plans
(MM) – Pakatan Rakyat (PR) must come clean on whether or not it supports pact member PAS’ latest push for hudud, the MCA insisted today when saying the Islamic penal code would infringe upon the fundamental rights of all Malaysians.
MCA publicity bureau chairman Loh Seng Kok said that the latest announcement by PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub – who reportedly said that hudud implementation in Kelantan is only the beginning – would require “colossal change” to the Federal Constitution.
“Pakatan allies, in particular DAP and PKR must now come up to clarify if they agree or object to this latest reiteration of PAS’ insistence on the enforcement of the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code (II) Enactment 1993 and to exert its influence.
“Failure to chastise Salahuddin’s remarks indicates the tacit collusion of DAP and PKR as a conduit to gradually introduce PAS hudud enactments into Penang and Selangor,” Loh said in a statement.
Yesterday, Salahuddin was reported to have said that hudud implementation in Kelantan is only the first step in PAS’s plan to expand Islamic penal law to other states under PR rule.
Malay daily Sinar Harian quoted him as saying that the plan would need co-operation from the federal government and all stakeholders.
PAS information chief Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, however, denied reports that their coming muktamar or general assembly will pressure PR state governments to adopt hudud, saying instead that they are setting their sights on nationwide implementation.
In a statement today, also carried by Sinar Harian, Tuan Ibrahim said the motion received to debate hudud implementation at their muktamar this weekend is to pressure the federal government to fully implement Syariah law and assist any state that wants to do the same.
Loh today claimed that there are many examples to show that PAS’s pursuit of Islamic laws and its “ultra conservative values” have encroached on the rights of non-Muslims, such as the controversial separate seating ruling for unmarried couples at a cinema in Kuala Selangor last year.
PAS leaders have since denied that such a ruling was in place, however, claiming that it was merely a suggestion by a PAS local councillor in the district to discourage public displays of affection such as kissing.
Loh also homed in on “unreasonable gender segregation rules” that were implemented in Kedah, which until recently was under PAS rule, and the alleged forced closure of entertainment outlets during the holy fasting month of Ramadan, saying that it only proved that theocratic rule is not an option for Malaysia.
“All parties irrespective of political affiliation must prevent PAS from extending its influence into other states in Malaysia, lest we see further erosion of our rights,” he said.
Implementation of hudud has long been a hot button issue in Malaysia, whose citizens are mostly Muslim but with a sizeable non-Muslim population.
PAS’s pursuit of full implementation of syariah law, which also includes hudud, had repeatedly put it at odds with PR partner DAP, who argue that the federal constitution’s recognition of Islam as the nation’s official religion does not make Malaysia an Islamic state.
MCA, which is a component of the ruling Barisan Nasional, have also been a staunch critic of PAS’s hudud plans, and have regularly used the issue as part of their campaign tactics to sway voter sentiments against the opposition.
