Most Malaysians feel country not ready for hudud, poll shows

KUALA LUMPUR, July 16 — Nearly three in five Malaysians think the country is not prepared to implement the controversial hudud Islamic penal law, according to a new survey by independent pollster Merdeka Center.

A total of 59 per cent of the Malaysians polled shared the sentiment, said the survey, with 58 per cent of Malays believing so.

This compared favourably to 59 per cent of Chinese and 61 per cent of Indians who gave the same response.

Just 25 per cent of respondents — and 30 per cent of Malays — believed that Malaysia is ready to introduce hudud now.

Just over half of Malaysians also said they believe that hudud will not be implemented fairly with the judiciary and law enforcement currently in place. Only 32 per cent felt it would be implemented fairly.

Only 56 per cent of Malaysians polled said they understand the law, with only 14 per cent understanding it “a great deal”.

Those who did not understand it included 62 per cent of Chinese and 49 per cent of Indians polled.

The survey polled 1,009 voters in Peninsula Malaysia via telephone in their preferred language between April 12 and 21 this year.

In Islamic jurisprudence, “hudud” covers crimes such as theft, robbery, adultery, rape and sodomy. Punishments for the crimes are severe, including amputation, flogging and death by stoning.

The debate over hudud is raging once more in Malaysia after PAS made known its plan to enforce the Islamic criminal law in Kelantan state which it has governed since 1990.

The news then led to baiting between the Islamist party and rival Umno over the controversial bid to amend the country’s laws to allow the introduction of hudud.

Last month, Selangor Umno assemblymen proposed a study on the feasibility of implementing hudud in the state, but withdrew it at the 11th hour.

Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) has allegedly proposed, in a working paper by its Shariah-Civil Technical Committee, that hudud to be rolled out nationwide in two stages.

In May, PAS said it will delay tabling two Parliamentary private members’ bills needed to pave the way for the enforcement of hudud in Kelantan, to allow a proposed bi-partisan committee to study the implementation of the Islamic penal code.

Umno deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin also said his party will push for a national-level committee on hudud.

Muhyiddin, who is also deputy prime minister, said both local and foreign experts on hudud would sit in the proposed committee. The specifics of the committee remain under wraps.