By Lim Kit Siang, MP for Gelang Patah

The Malay Mail Online has reported that the Umno Selangor Assemblyman for Sungai Air Tawar Kamarol Zaki Abdul Malik has submitted a motion to push for the implementation of hudud law for the forthcoming Selangor State Assembly beginning next week.

The Malay Mail Online has also reported that the Prime Minister, Najib Razak may carry out a major Cabinet reshuffle as early as Friday, which will include bringing in the MCA President Liow Tiong Lai and the Gerakan President Datuk Mah Siew Keong.

Liow and Mah should ask Najib to put on hold any Cabinet reshuffle as MCA and Gerakan will not be part of Barisan Nasional Cabinet until UMNO can give an undertaking that it will not push for implementation of hudud law whether at federal or state level, as this will be against the founding principles of the founders of UMNO, MCA, MIC and Gerakan as well as the Malaysian Constitution that Malaysia is a secular democratic nation.

Recently, MCA leaders have descended to a new low in character-assassination and personal attacks, even publicly alleging that I was changing my religion. DAP leaders never descend to such a depth of mud-slinging and gutter politics which seems to be the only political weapon left of the MCA leadership in their hour of despair, when they dare not even contest the Bukit Gelugor parliamentary by-election.

DAP leaders are accused of betraying Chinese and non-Muslim rights to PAS leaders in Chinese-language media, while PAS leaders are accused of betraying Malay and Muslim rights to DAP in the Malay-media.

Both cannot be right – in fact, both are wrong, and it is sad and deplorable that we see some of the Chinese media descending to the level of some Malay media in disseminating such lies and falsehoods when they know they are not true.

DAP leaders are not afraid of PAS leaders, and neither are PAS leaders afraid of DAP leaders, preventing us from speaking our minds at Pakatan Rakyat meetings.

Pakatan Rakyat is not Barisan Nasional where UMNO hegemony dominates all BN proceedings – and MCA and UMNO leaders should not flatter themselves to think that they are the role models for DAP and PAS leaders!

The ball is now in the court of Liow and Mah – whether they are prepared to take a principled stand that MCA and Gerakan will not take up any Ministerial or deputy ministerial post so long as UMNO is not prepared to give an undertaking that it would not push for implementation of hudud law whether at federal or state level.