MCA: DAP making Umno conservatives push for hudud too

(The Star) – DAP’s portrayal of growing non-Muslim support for PAS has galvanised the Islamist party into pushing ahead with its implementation of hudud, says MCA.

Its syaria law and policy implementation special task force chairman Gan Ping Sieu said this portrayal had boosted confidence in PAS, giving it the impression that the implementation of hudud would eventually be a non-issue among the non-Muslims.

“Even the conservatives in Umno are following suit,” he said.

“The DAP has managed to portray that 80% of the non-Muslims support PAS,” Gan said after attending a debate with DAP national political education director Liew Chin Tong here yesterday.

“This has sent a signal to Umno and the Malay community as a whole that the Chinese, Indians and other non-Muslims have no issues with hudud,” he said. “So, why not implement it?”

Liew, meanwhile, stated that DAP was also against hudud. He claimed that the issue was being used as a “political weapon” by both Umno and MCA.

“We feel that hudud is not appropriate for the country,” he said, adding that while Umno challenged PAS to implement hudud, MCA admonished DAP for not protesting against it.

Asked if DAP would oppose any move by PAS to introduce its hudud Bill in Parliament, Liew said the party was clear in that it would be against such an attempt.

He also suggested that politicians from both sides engaged in more debates touching on national issues such as the Goods and Services Tax and the economy.

Some 500 people had gathered to watch the two-hour debate at the Sin Chiew Daily hall.

The debate was carried out in a lively and cordial manner with both politicians given time to present their stance on hudud, besides taking questions from the floor.