PAS will back down if Parliament rejects hudud bill, info chief says

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 23 ― A PAS leader reiterated today that any move to implement hudud in Kelantan will need to go through the proper democratic process and said the Islamist party is willing to accept defeat if it fails to obtain parliamentary approval.

Party information chief Datuk Mahfuz Omar, in dismissing talks about the possible collapse of Pakatan Rakyat (PR) over PAS's hudud push, claimed the federal opposition bloc had already agreed that the Islamist party had the right to pursue the matter if was done with the condition that it went through the due process.

“I don't think PR would collapse as we have reached an agreement that PAS and DAP agree to disagree on this matter… everyone has the right to talk about this matter and express their opinion in Parliament.

“And if Parliament rejects it, then Kelantan will not be able to implement the Shariah Enactment. This means PAS must accept if Parliament rejects Kelantan's move to implement the Shariah Enactment,” Mahfuz told reporters at the party's headquarters here.

The Pokok Sena MP added that he hoped allies in PR would act as “real democrats” and “keep an open mind” that PAS had the right to pursue its hudud goals in Kelantan.

“Then they would accept the fact that the Enactment was already in place even before PR was formed. This must be agreed upon,” he said.

Mahfuz also said the fact that Kelantan's hudud push predates the formation of PR has been acknowledged by Lim Guan Eng, DAP secretary-general and Penang Chief Minister, who is the biggest opposer to PAS's hudud push.

“I thank him for that,” commented the Pokok Sena MP on the matter.

Mahfuz said he also believes that PR will survive the hudud ordeal since it thrives on democratic values that allows for dissenting space.

The federal opposition is again at a crossroads, with PAS once more on the defensive against vehement protests by DAP and PKR over the Islamist party’s renewed push for hudud law.

Politicians from the pact have admitted that the current impasse over PAS’s insistence on enforcing the Islamic penal code in Kelantan could potentially be the last straw for the coalition, as those for and against hudud remain stubbornly rooted in their positions.

Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Yakob previously announced that the state legislative assembly will hold a special sitting on December 29 to table and pass amendments to the Kelantan Shariah Criminal Code Enactment II.

The move is in preparation for PAS’s plan to table in Parliament a private member’s bill to amend the Federal Constitution and allow Kelantan to implement the Shariah Criminal Code Enactment II passed by the state assembly in 1993.

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