KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 29 — Malaysians who support hudud should rally behind Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang in his fight against an attempt to bar Parliament from discussing the PAS president’s bill on the Islamic penal code, Nasrudin Hassan Tantawi said today.

The PAS information chief said that the Islamist party was steadfast in its plans to implement hudud in Kelantan and prepared to face any legal obstacle in order to achieve its goal.

“The High Court has postponed the hearing to October 5 to decide on the preliminary objection filed by the lawyer representing the president against the plaintiffs.

“At least this is a moral victory for PAS and all lovers of Islamic justice,” Nasrudin said in a statement.

“Therefore we hope this momentum keeps up and it will be a testimony to the steps we have undertaken to implement the Shariah Criminal Code Enactment II in Kelantan.

“Pray so that this process which we will face will be made easy by Allah,” the Temerloh MP added.

Yesterday, Abdul Hadi filed a preliminary objection against a group’s bid to prevent Parliament from discussing his private member’s bill to implement hudud, arguing that they should seek a judicial review instead of an injunction.

PAS secretary-general Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan, who represented Hadi, said that the application for an injunction would also be defeated if the PAS president’s objection is accepted.

High Court judge Datuk Asmabi Mohamad fixed October 5 for the decision on the preliminary objection.

In June, a group of “concerned citizens” filed for the injunction to prevent federal lawmakers from debating Hadi’s private member’s bill to remove the legal barriers preventing PAS from enforcing the Islamic penal code in Kelantan.

The group named Hadi, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Mulia Amin, Deputy Speakers Datuk Ronald Kiandee and Datuk Ismail Mohamad Said as well as Dewan Rakyat Secretary Datuk Roosme Hamzah as respondents in their application.

Hadi submitted his private member’s bill earlier this year, but was unable to table it in Parliament during the last two sittings ostensibly due to a lack of time.

To implement hudud in Kelantan, PAS is seeking to amend the Shariah Court Act (Criminal Jurisdiction) 1965 or Act 355, which currently only allows the Shariah courts to mete out punishments limited to RM3,000 fine, five years’ jail and six strokes of caning.

Critics of Hadi’s move argue that hudud is unconstitutional in secular Malaysia.

Parliament is due to reconvene on October 19.