PAS’ friendship is not worth Sarawak DAP’s keeping

It is not only six to seven months too long, but PAS will still be the PAS it is today, no matter who gets to lead the Islamic party.

State DAP chief Chong Chieng Jen will be deceiving himself to think that if the progressives in PAS win control of the party, there will be justice, fairness, equality and liberty, and hudud will not be implemented.

Even if hudud is not implemented next year – as planned by the PAS-led Kelantan government – it will remain the party’s themed struggle if only to remind Muslims that here is a party that will never stop fighting for their rights as Muslims.

For as long as that struggle remains, what justice, fairness, equality and liberty can those like Chong and DAP expect from PAS? Chong surely knows that very well.

If happenings of the past few weeks surrounding the hudud in Malaya are anything to go by, implementing hudud is what PAS today is all about. It would seem that the one sole hindrance to its implementation now is how to go about chopping limbs of criminals in the most acceptable manner.

While the country’s medical doctors have all balked at being made amputation machines, PAS-led Kelantan may have found the perfect alternative in “trained professionals” appointed by the state sultan, the New Straits Times reported on Oct 23, citing Datuk Dr Mohamed Fadzli Hassan, the deputy chairman of the state technical committee on the Syariah Criminal Code II Enactment.

“It was recommended that the job be carried out by trained professionals appointed by the sultan. Their duty will be to carry out the amputations and nothing else. It was also suggested that the sentence be carried out at a place other than hospitals, as hospitals are a place for healing, not to carry out sentences,” Mohamed Fadzli was quoted saying.

He credited the proposal on ways to execute hudud punishments to a team of muftis, academics and professionals during a two-day discussion in Kota Baru.

And what will these “trained professionals” use?

According to Kelantan’s hudud law technical committee chairman, who is also Kelantan deputy menteri besar, Datuk Nik  Mohd Amar Abdullah, he would suggest to use a mini guillotine, similar to that reportedly used to behead French King Louis XVI and his queen Marie Antoinette during the height of the French Revolution in 1793.

The contraption, he said, would not need a surgeon to operate.

An Islamic faith healing practitioner in Kota Baru, in an interview with The Star, said it did not matter if a machete, sword or even a guillotine is used, “the fundamental law is that the instrument must be sharp”.

“Hudud was enforced during the times of Prophet Muhammad and it was effective in protecting the lives of Muslims then. If it is enforced here in Kelantan, it must go along with the principle that a sharp blade is to be used and those authorised to carry out the punishment must follow the stipulated etiquette that goes with the responsibility,” said Pusat Rawatan Islam At-Tobibi Nilai founder Datuk Shamsuri Shafei.

But the PAS’ mini guillotine for hudud did not go down well with two leading Muslim scholars, Islamic Renaissance Front (IRF) director Dr Ahmad Farouk Musa and Global Movement of Moderates chief executive officer Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah.

Ahmad Farouk said even if hudud is only applicable to Muslims as argued by PAS, it would be contrary to the Federal Constitution (Article 8) as it is discrimination on grounds of religion.

He said there is a need to first discuss if hudud can be implemented in the country.

Saifuddin said: “Hudud, like any other aspects of Islamic law, is to ensure justice. Justice must be done and seen to be done. Now, what would people say when a guillotine is used when it has not been used for so long because the equipment is associated with crude laws and cruelty? It would only add to the perception that Islamic law, in this context, is injustice. The fact that one has to resort to thinking of using such an archaic and crude instrument proves that it is not practical to implement hudud.”

Chong’s DAP colleague, Kluang MP Liew Chin Tong described the guillotine option as “disappointing” and called for it to be “guillotined immediately”.

“Like many other proponents of human rights, I have been campaigning for the end or reduced usage of cruel punishments such as the death penalty and judicial caning. Malaysia does not need another such form of punishment. The reasons for opposing such cruel and irreversible methods in principle have been explained time and again,” said Liew, who is the national DAP’s political education director.

If so many Malayans cannot agree to the PAS’ mini guillotine, expect Sarawakians to shudder at such a cruel and painful punishment that a criminal will have to live with all his life.

Chong will certainly not like this. He should, therefore, not take too much time rationalising if PAS’ friendship is worth Sarawak DAP’s keeping.

It’s time Sarawak DAP strike it out without PAS.