KUALA LUMPUR, March 25 — A Kelantan government leader disputed today a report claiming the Conference of Rulers had rejected the state’s proposed amendments to a federal law meant to enable the enforcement of hudud, calling it untrue and baseless.
Datuk Mohd Takiyuddin Hassan, who is head of Kelantan’s permanent secretariat on hudud, said he was informed by Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Yaakob that the state’s hudud plans were never presented to the royal council in the first place.
“It’s not true. Nothing to do with the Council of Rulers,” he told reporters.
He went on to point out that the implementation of hudud in Kelantan had already received blessings from the royal institution as far back as 1993 when the state’s Shariah Criminal Code II enactment was passed.
“Hudud was already given royal assent back in 1993. The Sultan of Kelantan is clear and that he supports hudud in Kelantan,” the Kota Baru MP added.
“Therefore the issue of religion regarding the hudud enactment in Kelantan has nothing to do with the Council of Rulers,” Takiyuddin added.
Yesterday, DAP pilloried PAS president Hadi for his party’s hudud push, saying it will no longer work with him even as it vowed to remain in the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) pact.
The DAP’s central executive committee that met on Monday night accused Hadi of cooperating with Umno on hudud, in violation of the pact’s common consensus and Common Policy Framework.
The decision will prevent the PR presidential council from carrying out any policy decisions as a consensus agreement is required, but will leave the state administrations of Selangor and Penang undisturbed.
On March 19, PAS-ruled Kelantan passed key amendments to its Shariah Criminal Code II 1993 in a move to enable the eventual implementation of hudud in the Malay-majority east coast state.
Hadi last week served notice to Parliament on the proposed Bill, but BN’s de facto 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.
With DAP and PKR’s rejection, PAS and its 21 MPs in the lower house must rely on all of Umno’s MPs plus more from other non-Muslim parties in order to get a simple majority of 112 votes to get the Bill passed.
