SHAH ALAM, April 22 — The fierce opposition to PAS’s attempts to implement hudud in Kelantan is considered stifling the freedom to practise Islam in Malaysia, PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang said today.
Hadi added that while other religions may be practised freely in Malaysia, Islam did not have the same privilege after he was severely criticised for seeking to table two private member’s Bills to remove legal roadblocks to the enforcement of hudud in Kelantan.
“The private member’s Bill was brought to Parliament, where the word ‘hudud’ isn’t mentioned even once, all of it is just to amend 355 to improve the Islamic law because there is a conflict with the Federal Constitution,” he said at a forum titled “Hudud Through Hadi’s Lenses”, referring to Article 355 of the Shariah Court (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965.
“The Federal Constitution states that Islam is the official religion. Other religions are free, but we are not free?” he added.
The Kelantan state assembly approved the Shariah Criminal Code (II) (1993) 2015 Enactment on March 19 with 31 votes from PAS lawmakers supported by 12 from Umno.
In return, 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 PR pact.
The DAP’s central executive committee accused Hadi of cooperating with Umno on hudud, in violation of the pact’s common consensus and Common Policy Framework.
Hadi submitted the private member’s Bill to Parliament to remove the legal obstacles that prevent the enforcement of hudud in Kelantan, which requires bipartisan support from Umno and others to pass.
The Bills did not make it into the April sitting’s agenda, however, and PAS has since confirmed that the party will again seek to table it in May.
