PAS can blabber all they want that hudud laws will not be imposed on non-Muslims. PAS fails to recognise the fears of non-Muslims on how criminal cases would be judged should they involve both a Muslim and non-Muslim.
PAS can claim that they are ‘for all’ promising freedom of religion. They certainly have built in-roads into the non-Muslim community when they contributed funds to a temple in Kelantan featuring the biggest reclining Buddha in Malaysia.
And when one of their members of parliament spoke in a church after the March 8 elections.
But this does not cover the fact that when PAS ruled the east coast state of Terengganu from 1999-2004, they actually attempted to seize a piece of land belonging to the Thean Hou Kong temple, a temple with a 100 year history.
This sour point has not been forgotten by devotees. In the Terengganu government gazette dated February 13, 2003 (attached herewith), it is recorded that the PAS government had decided to seize the temple grounds with a size of 449,201 square metres as part of their plans to build flood insulators at the estuary of Mukim Gelugor Kedai, Kuala Terengganu, from Kampung Wakaf Mempelam to Sungai Pinang.
As reported in the Chinese vernacular media, then MCA Terengganu chairperson, Senator Lau Yin Pin, vowed to take legal action if necessary and said he would use any means to support the temple against the PAS government.
Media reports also showed current MCA Terengganu head Toh Chin Yaw leading a demonstration at the Thean How Kong temple to protest against the PAS government’s move. These newspaper reports reveal MCA’s commitment to protect the religious freedoms of the Chinese community in Kuala Terengganu against PAS’ ‘legalised land-grab’.
The sole Chinese PAS state assembly person who hails from Kelantan, Annuar Tan Abdullah then had to talk to the Terengganu government to persuade them to withdraw the gazette knowing too well that the Chinese community had grown incensed with the Terengganu PAS government.
For Annuar Tan to make the journey from Kelantan to Terengganu suggests that he was on serious damage-control, image-repair mission.
The press also reported that the PAS government had claimed that they did not know the location of the temple. This is absolute nonsense as the gazette clearly names Persatuan Hainan Terengganu as the temple’s caretaker besides the land area of the Thean Hou Kong temple.
While the PAS-led Terengganu government finally withdrew the gazette, voters did not forget the incident and threw them out of office in the 2004 general elections.
What assurances do the current Terengganu voters have that PAS will not implement hudud laws against non-Muslims or seize their sacred holy grounds and houses of worship if when they come to power?
