Hudud message from PM is fake, PMO says
(Malay Mail Online) – The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) today denied that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had issued any statement on his position on hudud, the Islamic penal code that PAS intends to implement in Kelantan.
In its denial via microblogging site Twitter, PMO also posted the fake message that it says was being spread on social media and WhatsApp groups.
“Pejabat PM ingin menafikan bahawa PM @NajibRazak telah mengeluarkan apa-apa kenyataan tentang perlaksanaan hukum Hudud hari ini,” PMO wrote.
[Translation: The PM’s office would like to deny that Najib Razak issued any statement today on the implementation of hudud]
The fake message claimed Najib announced today that Umno has decided to allow its lawmakers to decide for themselves whether to support the private members’ Bill on hudud that PAS intends to table in Parliament.
If the majority of lawmakers support the bill, the government would then have “no other choice” but to ensure that the law is implemented, the message said.
Barisan Nasional’s (BN) national leadership has yet to declare its official stand on hudud although its lawmakers from Kelantan Umno had last week supported PAS’s amendments to a Kelantan enactment meant to prepare the state for the implementation of the Islamic penal code.
Before the amendments were passed, PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang served notice to Parliament on another set of amendments, this time to Act 355 or the Shariah Court’s (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965, which his party wants changed in order to allow Kelantan to carry out hudud.
But with PKR and DAP’s rejection, PAS, which only has 21 MPs in the 222-seat House, will need to rely on all of Umno’s 88 MPs, as well as more votes from other non-Muslim BN parties in order to get a simple majority for the Bill to be passed.
BN was initially rumoured to issue a statement some time this week on its formal position on hudud but has yet to do so.
On Tuesday, DAP pilloried Hadi for his party’s hudud push, saying it will no longer work with him even as it vowed to remain in the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) pact.
The DAP’s central executive committee that met on Monday night accused Hadi of cooperating with Umno on hudud, in violation of the pact’s common consensus and Common Policy Framework.
The decision will prevent the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) presidential council from carrying out any policy decision as a consensus agreement is required, but will leave the state administrations of Selangor and Penang undisturbed.
