KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 24 – While several PAS leaders have come out in full force promising to implement hudud laws, a lone PAS MP has claimed that the party should not use a Pakatan Rakyat (PR) platform to push for the laws.
PAS central committee member Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said today that the Islamist party should only advocate its policies “within the democratic process”, adding that provisions for hudud laws were never agreed on or outlined within PR’s Common Policy Framework (CPF).
“PAS leaders cannot be using the Pakatan platform to spread hudud laws. While we in PAS has a right to advocate our beliefs on our own platform, we cannot do it on a Pakatan platform.
“It is against the spirit of the PR Common Policy Framework (CPF). PR is built on the CPF. While we are diametrically opposed in our ideologies, our common denominator is the CPF,” said the Kuala Selangor MP.
Dzulkefly told The Malaysian Insider today that he had received many calls and text messages from PR supporters asking why were there renewed debates between PAS and DAP on the issue of hudud laws and the formation of an Islamic state.
“For as long as hudud laws and Islamic state are an anathema to DAP, and the idea of a secular state is an abhorrence to PAS, Umno-BN (Barisan Nasional) shall be ruling this country till doomsday,” he said.
The outspoken politician reminded PR leaders from PAS and DAP to stop “playing up” to each other’s own “ideological gallery”.
“I have emphasized this to PR leaders from time and time again. If only we are able to carry out new politics, rather than play up to our little gallery of ideological divide. We will only self-destruct if we insist on adopting a holier-than-thou position,” said Dzulkefly.
The Kuala Selangor MP had earlier this morning stated his initial response via social networking site Twitter.
“Could PR leaders pls avoid being embroiled in hudud. We are in ‘Self-destruct Mode’ again. Please have mercy for our members and well-wishers,” said Dzulkefly on his Twitter page.
Dzulkefly’s remarks come a day after PAS leaders said that it would not back down from its promise to implement hudud laws, adding that its PR ally DAP does not understand the concept.
PAS vice-president Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said the implementation of hudud would only affect Muslims.
“DAP rejects hudud because they do not clearly understand its implementation. It is actually compulsory for the government to implement hudud,” Tuan Ibrahim told The Malaysian Insider yesterday.
But the DAP has been adament that it will never accept hudud laws should PR take over Putrajaya.
DAP leader Lim Kit Siang said hudud laws and Islamic state are not part of PR policy.
Lim said the party has always been fighting for a secular Malaysia.
DAP chairman Karpal Singh had also said that PR would not support the implementation of hudud if the coalition takes over the federal government.
Karpal said such a law is unconstitutional and every party must respect the constitution.
DAP made the statement a day after PAS spiritual adviser Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat said Karpal’s rejection of hudud law was his personal opinion.
Karpal made the statement to dismiss Nik Aziz’s proposal for the implementation of Islamic laws to address social issues.
“The Federal Constitution only allows for Penal Code and other civil law, there is no room for hudud,” said Karpal.
Hudud or the Islamic criminal law imposes strict punishment, which includes amputation for stealing and stoning for fornication.
The Kelantan legislative assembly passed the Syariah Criminal Code II in 1993, which encompasses hudud law.
A similar was enacted in Terengganu in 2003 when the state was ruled by PAS.
The law however has not been enforced in both states.
DAP insists hudud laws, Islamic state not Pakatan policies
DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang maintained that DAP’s stand on Malaysia as a secular state has always been “constant and consistent.”
“Hudud laws and [an] Islamic state are not Pakatan Rakyat policies. This is why there is no mention of these issues in the Pakatan Rakyat common platform unveiled at the Pakatan Rakyat convention in Shah Alam on December 19 last year,” said Lim in a statement today.
Under the PR Common Policy Framework (CPC) last year, PR had made a pledge to “defend the Federal Constitution, Islam as the religion of the Federation while other religions can be practiced peacefully anywhere in the country...”
Reiterating that the two matters were not part of the PR framework, Lim said “any policy change would need the agreement of all three component parties and there is no such consensus in Pakatan Rakyat on hudud laws and Islamic state.”
The Ipoh Timur MP then pointed out that the idea of an Islamic state was supported and advocated by the three most recent prime ministers — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
Lim claimed that this contradicted the positions of the first three prime ministers — Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Abdul Razak and Tun Hussein Onn — who considered Malaysia a secular nation and not an Islamic state.
“It is the leaderships of the MCA, Gerakan, MIC, SUPP and the other Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties who were ever-ready to give unquestioned support to the declarations by the last three prime ministers, beginning with Mahathir’s ‘929 Declaration’ that Malaysia is an Islamic state on September 29, 2001, who should be repudiating their past positions instead of trying to pull the wool over the people’s eyes,” added Lim.
Renewed talks regarding the implementation of hudud laws and an Islamic state started when DAP national chairman Karpal Singh stated that he was firmly opposed to such laws being implemented should PR take over the federal government.
Karpal had argued that such laws were “unconstitutional” and that everyone had to respect the constitution.
PAS spiritual advisor Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat claimed that Karpal was the only DAP leader raising the issue, adding that other leaders were silent on the matter.
Nik Aziz said that Karpal’s views did not represent the views of DAP.
In the 1999 general election, the DAP together with PAS and PKR formed the Barisan Alternatif coalition, which collapsed after two years when DAP quit due to PAS’ objective of forming an Islamic state.
The unprecedented co-operation between DAP and PAS then resulted in the defeat of DAP’s strongmen Lim Kit Siang and Karpal Singh in Penang due to non-Muslim voters’ fear of the Islamic party.
No comments:
Post a Comment