A pro-Umno portal today said that the party should respect the views of non-Malay BN component parties with regards to objections on plans to implement hudud in Kelantan.
MyKmu.net in a posting said while it is not wrong for Umno to support the move, it is also “highly illogical” for the party to prevent MCA, MIC and Gerakan from opposing amendments to Act 355.
“Umno must respect the views of MCA, MIC and Gerakan, representing the non-Malays. Whether they (Umno) want to accept their views or otherwise is a different matter,” said MyKmu.
This is in reference to PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang’s Private Member’s Bill to amend Act 355, or the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) (Amendment) Bill 2016.
It is also referred to as the 'Hudud Bill' as it would ultimately pave the way for the partial implementation of the Islamic penal code, specifically in PAS-ruled Kelantan which had already passed an enactment to that effect.
MCA president Liow Tiong Lai, MCA deputy president Wee Ka Siong, Gerakan president Mah Siew Keong and MIC president Dr S Subramaniam were among top BN component party leaders who had threatened to resign from the cabinet should the contentious amendments be passed in Parliament.
Commenting further, MyKmu said that only time will tell if the “rushed” decision to allow Hadi to table his Private Member’s Bill was a wise strategy ahead of the Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar by-elections, or if the move would “boomerang” against BN.
“Is BN now non-functioning to the point that this historical moment in Malaysian politics was not discussed among component parties...?
“If the dispute that led to threats to quit BN is a planned strategy, it would be best for the strategist to resign. It has become a stupid dispute that tarnished BN,” it said.
It also noted that tabling of the bill has so far triggered a rift within BN but benefited PAS, DAP and PKR.
“At a time when PAS has succeeded to strengthen its support, DAP and PKR also also gaining more non-Muslim votes who views the tabling of this bill as Umno’s support for PAS to implement hudud,” it said.
Last Thursday was the last day of the Dewan Rakyat sitting for the second session and the government had prioritised Hadi’s bill ahead of government business. The bill was originally listed as number 15 or the last item on the Order Paper.
Hadi, however, requested that bill be tabled at the next session in October.
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