Combative DAP no solution to hudud woes of Malaysians

By admin-s On Mar 23, 2015

PAS and its leaders have every right to adopt and enforce hudud to fulfil the majority wishes of their Muslim community. They have the majority in Kelantan and that’s democracy, isn’t it?

Ng Kee Seng, The Ant Daily

The Kelantan State Assembly building was a hive of activities on March 18 and 19 where amendments to the hudud bill were tabled, debated and approved.

The state operations rooms was converted into a media centre to facilitate the work of some 100 reporters, photographers and TV crews.

Whether the bill was approved unanimously or by 44-0 or 43-1, it really does not matter. Clearly, there was overwhelming support based on the contents of the debates by PAS and Umno assemblymen. The sole PKR elected representative who did not even attend the tabling and debate does not deserve any attention. Whether he supported or abstained from voting on the bill is of no significance to the issue.

However, the inexperienced Speaker Datuk Abdullah Ya’kub deserves to be reprimanded for causing confusion in passing the bill. He had obviously taken for granted the support of all the 44 Muslim assemblymen – 32 from PAS, Umno (12) and PKR (one). One chair is unoccupied with the passing of former Kelantan Menteri Besar Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat.

After all, support from the 32 PAS assemblymen was already enough for the PAS-led state government to get what it wanted to facilitate the implementation of hudud.

That must have been Abdullah’s reason for his lax handling of the vote by voice, instead of a count of hands or secret vote. How can he just depend on voice votes for such an all-important landmark issue?

However, in a court of law, the accuracy of Abdullah’s declaration of a unanimous majority in the vote can be challenged easily.

The attention is now switched to whether PAS will succeed in garnering support and approval in Parliament to enable Kelantan to enforce hudud or the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code (Amended) 1993.

The DAP has been extremely combative and anti-hudud for the past three decades.

But as a member of the Pakatan Rakyat coalition and Pakatan state governments and its hope of realising a Pakatan federal government, why can’t it now start thinking out of the box for the general good of Malaysians and national unity.

Why does it remain combative, threatening to destroy Pakatan in its process, by remaining stubborn in denying the rights of Muslims in wanting hudud?

Why is DAP not practising what it preaches – championing religious freedom and democracy? Why is the DAP obsessed with harping on and fighting hudud instead of trying to resolve it for sake of the minorities, especially those in Kelantan. Is DAP anti-Islam?