PAS Should Get Pakatan Consensus Before Hudud Bill Can Be Tabled

25th April 2014
 

PAS SHOULD GET PAKATAN CONSENSUS BEFORE HUDUD BILL CAN BE TABLED

I would like to express my shock over the recent announcement by the Kelantan Menteri Besar that the state once again proposes to table a private bill in Parliament before end of the year to seek a declaration that Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code Enactment II, or hudud, can be implemented in the state.

Besides Pas, fellow PR members PKR and DAP were not informed of the impending move, which is something that goes against the spirit of Pakatan Rakyat.

Worst still, Barisan Nasional who had oppose hudud for many years had suddenly implied its willingness after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak who  said on Thursday that  the Federal Govern¬ment has never rejected the implementation of hudud.

While BN component parties such as MCA and Gerakan may feel otherwise, we all know that the stance made by Umno and its leaders will prevail at will without referring to any of its coalition members.

Pas being a member of the Pakatan Rakyat should have consulted the Pakatan leadership and reached a consensus before any decision regarding hudud can be made.

Unlike Barisan Nasional, it has always been the way that Pakatan Rakyat and its allies operate, which shows transparency and accountability to the Pakatan coalition and the rakyat.

 PKR has always remain confident that the PAS leadership, especially those in Kelantan, will seek out its coalition partners to talk about the issue.

Now in lieu of recent events, it important for Pas leaders to present their case once again as presented by Pas president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang  at the presidential council attended by all key Pakatan leaders in 2011.

The decision which was made then was that hudud was not part of  Pakatan common policy framework and that nothing can take off without consensus from all coalition partners.

It is of my hope and wish that Pas would once again bring forth its case before the upcoming presidential council so that a detailed discussion and fruitful decision be made.

“Demi Rakyat”

Dr Xavier Jayakumar
Adun PKR Seri Andalas