Amanah willing to vote against hudud, says Mat Sabu
New party of PAS dissidents will decide on consensus with opposition coalition partners.
(Free Malaysia Today) – MPs in the new Amanah party are willing to vote against hudud criminal penalties in Parliament, their leader, Mohamad Sabu, was reported to have said here today.
Mat Sabu, who is head of a group of breakaway PAS members, said their position would depend on the consensus among other parties in a new opposition coalition to be formed when the new Parti Amanah Negara is registered.
“We will consult our coalition partners first. If they say ‘No’, then we will not support it (in the Dewan Rakyat vote),” Mohamad, was quoted as saying at a gathering to introduce Amanah.
Mat Sabu said Amanah’s position on hudud would be based on consultation, a democratic approach and provisions in the Federal Constitution.
“We cannot force hudud on the people if the majority of the people, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, are against it. And we cannot force its implementation if it is against the constitution,” he said, according to Malaysian Insider.
Hudud was one of the causes of the split between the DAP, which is resolutely defending the secular constitution, and PAS, which wishes to enforce hudud in Kelantan state and has sought parliamentary approval for a constitutional amendment.
In the wake of their differences, the DAP unilaterally declared an end to the Pakatan Rakyat coalition, although jailed Pakatan leader Anwar Ibrahim has recently stated that PAS remained a member of Pakatan.
The hudud issue led to the defeat of a progressive faction of PAS leaders at its party elections in June, and the formation of Amanah comprising former members of progressives.
