KUALA LUMPUR, June 18 — The return of Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang’s private member’s bill on hudud on Parliament’s order paper yesterday is a “reward” for the PAS president’s friendliness to Umno and antagonism to the DAP, Lim Kit Siang claimed today.

The DAP parliamentary leader accused the Barisan Nasional (BN) lynchpin of gifting Abdul Hadi the possibility of enforcing the Islamic penal code in Kelantan, even if it is clear for all to see that Umno will never give its support at the risk of losing 48 BN MPs from Sabah and Sarawak.

“Hadi [is] being rewarded for his change of political posture, where Umno was referred to in very respectful terms while DAP is demonised with rough language at the PAS Muktamar,” Lim said in a statement.

Today, however, is the last day of the current parliamentary meeting, with national news agency Bernama quoting Parliament Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia as saying that Hadi’s bill, which seeks to amend the Shariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 will not be debated as long as government business is not finished.

Lim said today that the “death” of Pakatan Rakyat (PR) was an inevitable outcome of the concerted push for hudud, which was the last straw for relations between the two members of the federal opposition pact.

Lim stressed that their recent decision to sever ties with on-again-off-again ally PAS was necessary to do away with “political charades” that got in the way of fulfilling the pledges made under PR’s common policy framework.

“We in the DAP will not work with PAS leaders who had violated the Pakatan Rakyat Common Policy Framework  (CPF) but we are prepared to work with political forces and Malaysians committed to the PR CPF, including PAS members at various party levels who have not forsaken or repudiated the PR CPF,” Lim said in a statement.

The Gelang Patah MP said the resolution passed at PAS’ recent muktamar or general assembly, to sever ties with DAP, was a clear signal for the DAP to shift its focus on “all like-minded political parties and political forces to bring about a new political alignment” in the push for the “Malaysian Dream”.

“There is all-round disappointment at the death of Pakatan Rakyat, but this is no cause for dejection or despondency when there must instead be greater resolve and commitment to pursue the inclusive Malaysian Dream of unity, justice, dignity and prosperity of all Malaysians in the 14th General Election,” he said.

In a statement declaring the “death” of PR on Tuesday, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng blamed Abdul Hadi for the coalition’s demise, saying the PAS president’s recent actions as well as the Islamist party’s decision at its congress this month to sever ties with DAP meant PR’s Common Policy Framework was broken.

PAS on June 6 confirmed its decision to sever ties with DAP while still remaining in PR with PKR, after its motion to do so was approved without debate.