Khalid Samad says not anti-Hudud, threatens to sue

(MMO) – Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad has demanded newspaper Berita Harian apologise for a report depicting him as opposing hudud, under threat of legal action.

The Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) communications director said he has given the New Straits Time Press (NSTP) group publication seven days from today to apologise over claims made in an article titled “Kerajaan beri PAS laluan, DAP, Amanah bantah”.

He claimed the article impugned his credibility and image as a Muslim lawmaker.

“There is evil intent there that wants to paint me as a DAP stooge, that follows whatever they say when I have differing views from DAP MPs,” he told a press conference at his office this morning.

The article reported him as allegedly opposing PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang’s private member’s Bill in Parliament to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965, along with DAP MPs.

Khalid today said he did not oppose the tabling of the Bill. He also said his position on the proposed amendments was not yet decided.

The former PAS MP said the claims were also repeated in another article in the newspaper titled “Usul dibawa empat kali sejak 1995”.

Hadi’s Bill unexpectedly made it to Dewan Rakyat last week after an Umno minister proposed to elevate it in Parliament’s agenda, which Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia approved after saying it would otherwise never have “seen the light of day”.