Punish PAS for ‘betraying rakyat’ with hudud, Klang MP tells DAP and PKR

(Malay Mail Online) – DAP MP for Klang Charles Santiago has called on DAP and PKR to punish PAS for “betraying the rakyat” by seeking to implement hudud law.

Santiago referred to a recent Merdeka Center poll which found that 84 per cent of respondents and 81 per cent of Muslim respondents from around the peninsula thought the Kelantan government should prioritise post-flood reconstruction over the implementation of hudud law in the state.

“The people of Kelantan have spoken loud and clear, attempting to knock some sense into PAS,” Santiago said, in a press statement.

“Instead of hudud, the Kelantanese want its state government to look into issues that affect them on a daily basis — rising prices, struggling economy, the soon-to-be-implemented GST, lack of infrastructure and especially, the uncertainty following the devastating floods,” he said.

“And yet all PAS can think about is bulldozing the Shariah Bill at the state legislative sitting this Wednesday and at Parliament later this month.”

Santiago said PAS’ determination to pass hudud law has harmed the image of the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalition, which ran for the 13th General Election on the platform of a secular Malaysia.

“PAS wanted in and signed on the dotted lines, agreeing to the core principles of the opposition coalition.”

Santiago pointed out that it was on this basis that the majority of Malaysians voted for PR and PAS’ attempt to go back on this is a “betrayal.”

Santiago also recalled PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang’s attempt to entice PKR members including Selangor Mentri Besar Azmin Ali to jump ship to PAS, which would then have formed a unity government with Umno to “protect the Malays.”

“Maybe it’s time that Pakatan Rakyat makes tough decisions against PAS for failing to adhere to the coalition’s common platform and betraying the rakyat,” he said.

The Kelantan PAS government reportedly plans to proceed with tabling amendments to the Kelantan Shariah Criminal Code Enactment II 1993 at the state legislative assembly today, despite repeated objections from its PR partners DAP and PKR.

Details of the proposed amendments, however, have not been made public nor did the PAS-led state administration share copies of the bill with their PR partners until last week.

When the draft was shared last Thursday, the PR presidential council told PAS to “reconsider” its amendments, with one DAP man telling the Islamist party that the proposed changes were entirely a new piece of legislation instead of minor updates to the Kelantan Shariah Criminal Code Enactment II 1993 as previously claimed.

The DAP lawmaker, Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo also said DAP will continue to reject hudud as it was “impractical and against Pakatan’s common policy framework.”

On Sunday, however, Kelantan Deputy Mentri Besar Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah said the state will proceed with tabling the proposed changes this week and will not revise the draft as requested by the PR presidential council.

“Not going to go back to meet PR again. We have discussed and it will be tabled,” he told Malay Mail Online.