KOTA BARU, June 2 ― The Kelantan government had engaged in talks with the Barisan Nasional (BN) federal government “for some time” before PAS was given the greenlight to table its controversial Shariah Bill in Parliament, the Islamist opposition party’s president disclosed today.
Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang admitted that the negotiations helped expedite the tabling in the Dewan Rakyat, which Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia had remarked last week would not have “seen the light of day” without an Umno minister’s motion.
“Yes, they negotiated government-to-government for some time,” Abdul Hadi said during a press conference after opening the PAS annual general meeting here.
Hadi tabled the amendments to the Shariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 in the form of a private member’s Bill on May 26.
“Politics is not about what goes on in Parliament. It is also negotiations between parties,” he said.
He asserted that Umno likely facilitated his tabling of the Bill after realising their responsibility as Muslims to support the move.
Both Hadi and Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak have insisted the Bill was not for the implementation of hudud.
Hadi also said attempts to table the Bill have existed since 1995.
After the Umno minister’s intervention, Hadi unexpectedly deferred the tabling of his Bill to October, and today said he believed his proposal will be debated then.
