PAS pledges to rollout hudud in Terengganu if it wins state in GE14

KUALA LUMPUR, June 3 — Terengganu PAS said today that it will continue implementing a stalled 2002 enactment on hudud if it manages to grab the state from Barisan Nasional (BN) in the next polls.

The Islamist party’s state commissioner Datuk Husain Awang was quoted saying that a PAS government will construct any infrastructure needed for the controversial Islamic penal law, even as current federal laws are a barrier towards implementing it.

“God willing, if we are given the mandate and govern Terengganu, we will continue to implement it,” Husain was quoted saying in the party portal HarakahDaily, referring to the enactment.

“We will create infrastructure that will enable the laws or enactment that has been passed to be implemented among the society.”

Terengganu’s Syariah Criminal Offences (Hudud and Qisas) Enactment received the royal assent in 2002, but cannot yet still be implemented because Shariah courts cannot mete out harsh hudud punishments such as amputations, stoning, or death penalty.

One of the reasons is due to the restrictions governed by the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965, also known as Act 355, which PAS president and Marang MP Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang is seeking to amend in the Parliament.

Recounting the passing of the enactment 15 years ago, Husain said he was thankful for the four Umno assemblymen back then who did not oppose and reject the law.

“We expected heavy opposition, suddenly we found that the opposition in the assembly was not as we had expected.

“They only created doubt from a [technical] standpoint,” he said, referring to the Umno representatives.

In 2015, Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Razif Abd Rahman said the Terengganu state government had no problem implementing hudud provided the public, especially non-Muslims, understand the controversial Islamic penal law.

But earlier this week, he said Terengganu is not prepared to implement hudud law before an in-depth study on it is conducted, and it can only be determined by the state legislative assembly after getting the consent of the Sultan of Terengganu.

His remark came after Umno’s state executive councillor and Ajil assemblyman Ghazali Taib insisted that the Terengganu government would continue to fight for the implementation of Islamic law in the state.