We will encircle Parliament if hudud Bills revived, says MCA Youth chief
(Malay Mail Online) – MCA Youth members will encircle Parliament to block any bid by federal lawmakers to pass the roll out of hudud in Kelantan, its chief Chong Sin Woon promised today.
Chong said the Chinese party’s youth wing remains opposed to the enforcement of the strict Islamic penal code, even as he labelled Islamist opposition party PAS’ withdrawal of the Bills that would have removed legal roadblocks to hudud as “drama”.
“But I want to stress that if in the coming days, there is anyone or any party who still wants to table in Parliament to implement hudud, MCA Youth will not give up, will continue to surround Parliament,” he said in Mandarin to over 800 youth delegates at the wing’s 50th AGM today, who responded with a thunderous applause.
Earlier in his speech, Chong also said that MCA Youth was “very clear” that Malaysia is a “secular country”, saying that no one can change the country’s foundation.
Chong’s comments reflect the MCA’s continued opposition to hudud and fears that political rival PAS’ ambitions to see the Islamic criminal laws implemented would see non-Muslims being affected.
In May this year, PAS said it will delay tabling two private members’ bills needed to pave the way for the enforcement of hudud in Kelantan, saying that it wants to allow a proposed bi-partisan national-level committee to study the implementation of the Islamic penal code.
In 1993, the PAS state government passed the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code Enactment II, allowing it to impose the strict Islamic penal code in the state, but the laws have not been implemented yet.
Prior to pausing its plans, PAS was initially planning to seek parliamentary approval to implement hudud by putting forward two private members’ bills in the June parliamentary sitting.
One seeks approval for punishments including whipping, stoning and amputation while the other seeks to empower Shariah courts to mete out the sentences.
In all previous attempts, PAS had been frustrated by Barisan Nasional (BN) tactics to prevent any vote by employing a “talking out” tactic where BN MPs have been allowed to speak for an extended period of time to prevent such private members’ bills from even being debated.
However, Umno leaders have now said they have no objections to the implementation of hudud and have constantly challenged PAS to try to introduce the law.
Putrajaya announced this year the formation of a special national-level committee to study how to enact hudud.
Legal experts insist that hudud cannot be implemented in Malaysia as it would be unconstitutional. They also pointed to complexities in enforcing a law in which non-Muslims could not be compelled to appear.
