JUNE 11 ― Four male and female Muslims have sought a court injunction with the Kuala Lumpur High Court, claiming that the hudud law private bill is in contrary to the country's Constitution and affecting the rights of women, non-Muslims as well as the Islamic principle of fairness, in a bid to prevent the tabling of the private bill in the Parliament. They have made PAS president Hadi Awang and Dewan Rakyat Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia as among the defendants.
The actions of these four Muslims has drawn widespread attention in the country, and has received tremendous commendations from non-Muslims and individuals fighting to safeguard the country's Constitution. It is believed that their courageous act is poised to sound the alarm bell in the Parliament.
In order to push ahead its ultimate objective of implementing the hudud law in Kelantan, PAS tabled a private bill in the Parliament in March although it couldn't make it for the debate and voting. This time, they are going out to ensure that the bill will get its way into the Parliament sittings slated for May 18 to June 18, so that hudud could be implemented with the support of a smaller majority through the backdoor approach.
Such abuse of legislative proceedings is a blatant disregard for the federal Constitution.
After the hudud bill was adopted in the Kelantan state assembly, the Islamic party has been repeatedly emphasizing that Muslims cannot oppose to the hudud law as it is a decree from the Almighty. The party even claims that hudud is an internal issue among the Muslims and that non-Muslims have no right to intervene.
Even under mounting pressure, the four Muslims have opted to stand up against the odds to defend the country's principles of democracy, liberty and equality. This shows that they not only possess a high degree of wisdom and civilisation but also illustrates the fact that there are still individuals who would support moderation and would defend the country's diversity.
By comparison, the non-Muslim community has been rather vociferous but without any practical actions with the exception of Gerakan Rakyat, which has filed a failed suit against the implementation of hudud.
MCA has so far only voiced out its stand against the hudud, targeting DAP in its onslaught, while unilaterally endorsing the acts of Umno MPs, claiming their consistent stand on the unconstitutionality of hudud.
They nevertheless failed to see DPM Tan Sri Muhyiddin's stand: As a Muslim, I cannot oppose hudud and will stand on its side.
BN chairman cum Umno president Najib has so yet to express his stand on this issue while his predecessors have all manifested their rejection of hudud during their respective terms. We have no idea what has held the PM back actually.
More importantly, can our MPs who have been elected by the people and have claimed to represent all Malaysians, deny the rights of non-Muslims in the name of religion just because they are Muslims?
Hudud is not merely unconstitutional, it is also discriminatory and may affect the rights of non-Muslims while polarizing our society. PAS' arrogance and recalcitrance have been unreservedly exposed.
PAS would not have scored such outstanding electoral results if not for the support of non-Muslim (including Chinese and Indian) voters. It is sheer lie that hudud would not impact the lives of non-Muslims. Even before the hudud has come into effect, the reckless bans on liquor sale, concerts and restriction of business hours have all taken a toll on non-Muslims' rights.
The federal Constitution protects the fundamental rights of all Malaysians to embrace their own religious faiths freely, but now PAS wants to usurp the constitutional rights of the people and alter the country's political ecosystem.
If PAS' ill motives could be materialized, then we are telling the world that our country is governed through religious laws and that we are pulling ourselves further and further away from the civilized world. So, why bother so much about the vision to become a fully developed country in the first place?
The four Muslims quoted a statement by Tunku Abdul Rahman at the Parliament on May 1, 1958: I have to make it very clear that this country is not an Islamic state. We are only making Islam the country's official religion.
This reassuring statement from our founding father has never been forgotten by the non-Muslim communities in this country. ― Sin Chew Daily
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.
