No need to warn us, Mahfuz tells Gobind

(The Star) – PAS has told its Pakatan Rakyat ally DAP that it is unnecessary to warn the Islamist party of the risk of being isolated in the coalition in its pursuit of hudud law in Kelantan.

Information chief Datuk Mahfuz Omar said the PAS-led Kelantan government was merely proposing amendments to the Syariah Criminal Offences Act II 1993, an enactment that has existed in the state before the opposition pact was formed.

Muhfuz was responding to a statement by DAP national legal bureau chairman Gobind Singh Deo who said PAS would no longer be seen as part of Pakatan should it go ahead with the amendments during the state assembly sitting on March 18.

Gobind said if PAS was to pursue with implementing hudud, it would amount to an “open and obvious” move against the pact’s common policy framework.

Mahfuz said he “would like to remind Gobind” that the enactment had been in existence for the past 20 years, and another process had to be followed before hudud is implemented.

“The proposed amendments are just to update and improve on those laws, especially of certain technical aspects.

“It cannot be implemented until an amendment is made to the Federal Constitution,” said Mahfuz, who is Pokok Sena MP.

He explained that the amendments had nothing to do with the Private Member’s Bill that PAS intends to pursue in Parliament over Article 76A of the Federal Constitution or the 1965 Syariah Court Act as previously speculated.

“Besides, PAS is using the path of democracy in the process of implementing this syariah law where all parliamentarians will have the opportunity to table, debate, support or object the matter.

“Perhaps Gobind could use this democratic process without having to question our position in Pakatan Rakyat,” said Mahfuz. He urged Pakatan’s top leadership to convene a meeting to clear the air on hudud.