Umno support for hudud will ‘destroy’ both Pakatan and BN, Kit Siang insists

KUALA LUMPUR, March 23 — Lim Kit Siang defended today his call for a bipartisan coalition comprising MPs from both sides of the political divide, saying it would be a necessary scenario if Umno lawmakers support PAS’s hudud plans in Parliament.

The DAP parliamentary leader said Umno’s backing for hudud would destroy both Pakatan Rakyat (PR) and Barisan Nasional (BN), and that the only logical step forward would be to form a new coalition with MPs who want to defend the supremacy of the Federal Constitution.

“If the private members’ bills are tabled, it will destroy both coalitions.

“It is time to think of a new coalition to defend whose members are prepared to defend constitutionalism and the rule of law,” Lim told reporters at a news conference at the Parliament lobby.

He said the onus was now on Umno president and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to make a stand on the matter.

“If the bills are supported, then Umno and BN will have deviated from the founding principles of the coalition.

“The very fact that Umno state assemblymen were allowed to vote in support of hudud in Kelantan without any objection showed a major change in BN and Umno’s policy,” the Gelang Patah MP said.

Yesterday, Lim mooted the formation of a new government by a “Save Malaysia” coalition to comprise lawmakers from both sides of the political divide, having noted that both PR and BN appear to be torn in their support for hudud, the Islamic penal code that PAS intends to implement in Kelantan.

In PR, he said PAS and its president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang have openly disregarded their party’s cooperation with DAP and PKR by refusing to abandon its hudud ambition.

BN appears no different, Lim observed, citing contradicting remarks from Umno politicians over their support for the Islamic law, and the clear show of opposition from the ruling party’s partners in the pact such as MCA, Gerakan and other east Malaysian parties.

PAS-ruled Kelantan passed key amendments to its Shariah Criminal Code II 1993 last Thursday in a move to enable the eventual implementation of hudud in the Malay-majority east coast state.

All 12 Umno state lawmakers voted for the amendments but the ruling party’s national leadership has yet to declare if the same support would be given to PAS’s hudud ambition at the federal level.

All BN component parties including Umno are expected to issue a joint statement to declare its position on the controversial issue.

The statement is expected to precede PAS’s attempt to table a private members’ Bill in the ongoing Parliament session that will enable Kelantan to carry out punishments under hudud. Among others, the Islamic criminal justice system prescribes amputation as punishment for crimes like stealing.

Hadi had earlier last week served notice to Parliament on the proposed Bill but BN’s law minister Datuk Nancy Shukri said it may not make it into the order paper for the current session as there are many others on the schedule.

PAS only has 21 MPs in the lower House and would need to rely on Muslim MPs from other parties in order to get a simple majority of 112 votes to get the Bill passed.

Tonight, DAP’s national central executive committee (CEC) will hold a meeting to discuss its position in PR following PAS’s hudud manoeuvre in Kelantan.