By Lim Guan Eng, Secretary General of DAP
DAP is surprised by PAS President Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang’s claim that the PR Leadership Council had agreed to PAS’ intention to implement the hudud law in Kelantan. If Abdul Hadi was correctly quoted, then he is wrong and should show proof to back his claim because DAP had never agreed to the implementation of hudud by PAS on Muslims in Kelantan before or after PR was established in 2008.
This is the first time that I have heard that DAP has agreed to PAS implementation of the hudud law on Muslims in Kelantan. DAP top leadership whether Lim Kit Siang or the late Karpal would never have agreed because it is unconstitutional. Abdul Hadi has made an unfortunate mistake and wrong statement. DAP hopes that Abdul Hadi can show proof and if he fails to do so, then a correction should be issued.
Pakatan Rakyat comprising PAS, DAP and PKR operates by consensus from all 3 parties. If any one party disagrees, then it is not PR policy. PAS intention to implement the hudud is PAS policy and not PR’s policy, because DAP is consistent in opposing the implementation of the hudud law.
Clearly in failing to secure PR support for implementing the hudud law, PAS is now turning to UMNO. Despite UMNO’s opposition to the hudud law from former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad until Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in 2011, PAS is willing to trust that UMNO is not playing politics to recapture Kelantan.
In opposing the implementation of the hudud law for Muslims, Dr Mahathir Mohamad stated that Muslims in Malaysia are not ready for it and that it would not be fair to have different penalties between Muslims and non-Muslims for the same offence. In his years as Prime Minister from 1981-2003, Dr Mahathir had even refused to meet PAS leaders on implementing the hudud law.
Similarly, Datuk Seri Najib had on 25 September 2011 whilst attending the 1Malaysia carnival in Kampar, said that the Government will not enforce hudud law in Malaysia because its implementation must take into consideration the environment and the reality. Najib even said there were already elements of hudud in the present legal system “minus the extreme part”. However, Najib has now flip-flopped on the BN government’s previous position from not enforcing the hudud law to publicly lauding PAS’ proposals to implement hudud law and is willing to meet PAS leaders to discuss this.
No one is surprised that Najib has so easily ignored and dismissed MCA and Gerakan by changing the BN government position on the implementation of the hudud law for Muslims in Kelantan. Najib’s flip-flop on hudud has exposed the double-standards, hypocrisy and lies of MCA in opposing the implementation of the hudud law when BN now publicly lauds it.
However PAS should make a realistic assessment on whether UMNO is playing games as a smart political strategy to undermine and subvert PAS so that it would be easier for UMNO to recapture Kelantan after 24 years. Abdul Hadi should not forget that he was the Terengganu Menteri Besar that passed the hudud law in Terengganu in 2003 and immediately thereafter lost Terengganu in the 2004 general elections to UMNO. By attempting to work with UMNO again on trying to implement the hudud law for Muslims in Kelantan, will history repeat itself and allow UMNO to recapture Kelantan?
