KUALA LUMPUR, May 1 — The thousands of Malaysians protesting against an impending consumption tax today found themselves unwitting supporters of PAS’s bid to introduce Islamic penal law in Kelantan.
The May Day rally here was billed as a protest against the Goods and Services Tax (GST) that the government will start imposing next April, but PAS Spiritual Advisor Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat’s decision to post a picture of the rally on Facebook has added an unexpected cause to the event.
“A view from DBKL Tower of the gathering to protest GST and support hudud on May 1 at Merdeka Square, ([admin] Pandangan dari Menara DBKL, Himpunan Bantah GST & Sokong Laksana Hudud 1 Mei di Dataran Merdeka),” read the caption that accompanied an aerial view of the rally.
It is unclear if the message was personally sanctioned by the former Kelantan mentri besar, as the “admin” label indicates that it was posted by an administrator.
The decision is unlikely to sit well with PAS’s Pakatan Rakyat partners, DAP and PAS.
DAP is vehemently against PAS’s plans to table to private members’ bills that will allow it to enforce the Islamic penal code via the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code Enactment II it passed in 1993.
The ideological difference broke a previous alliance between secular DAP and Islamist PAS in 2001, and now threatens to rend apart the opposition pact the two have formed together with PKR.
Political rivals have also been quick to capitalise on message that was also cross-posted to Twitter, reposting it to reach a wider audience.
Police estimated that around 15,000 people took part in the May Day rally here to protest against the GST, which also saw signs of discontent over Putrajaya’s prosecution of opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and handling of missing flight MH370.
