Mohsin Abdullah wrote an interesting column in The Edge on 10 April 2017, when he revealed that UMNO leaders were laughing at PAS (with the exact words “PAS kena game”) for being duped over PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang’s private member’s bill or RUU355 Bill. However, it is not only UMNO that has duped PAS, but other BN component parties whether MCA, Gerakan, PBS or MIC and SUPP has been duped by UMNO into believing that UMNO would not support RUU 355.
UMNO’s support for RUU 355 was crystal clear when UMNO took the unilateral decision to defer 6 important government bills to allow one full day of Parliament on Thursday for RUU 355 to be tabled. The so-called BN consensus of the BN government not adopting RUU 355, is clearly a farce and an exercise in mass deception of the public, where not only PAS ‘kena game’ but Malaysians ‘kena game’.
What is astonishing is that the non-UMNO component parties, continue to support UMNO and remain in BN despite being duped and shown up in public as being made “bloody fools” by UMNO. Clearly the perks and privileges of government office is more important than principles.
And yet these non-UMNO BN component parties try to cover up their failure by pinning the blame on the DAP, when DAP immediately broke ties with PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang, when he was intent on tabling RUU 355. DAP had explained many times that we are opposing RUU 355 not because we are anti-Islam or that we want to interfere in Islamic affairs, but because RUU changes the character and identity of the Federal Constitution.
DAP’s stand against RUU 355 is based on the substance of the Federal Constitution. RUU 355 is clearly unconstitutional because it strikes at the very heart of Merdeka, the core of the Federal Constitution and the basis of which Malaysia was formed with Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia.
Furthermore, technically and procedurally, it is also wrong to change the constitutional framework of our Federal Constitution by an ordinary bill which requires only a simple majority of MPs present during voting, instead of a constitutional amendment which requires a 2/3 majority of MPs, which means a minimum of 148 MPs.
In other words if there were 100 MPs present, only 51 MPs is required to pass RUU 355, not a majority of MPs or 112 out of 222 MPs. For such an important bill, a constitutional amendment of 148 MPs is required, especially when RUU increases the penalties to 30 years imprisonment, which is even more severe than many existing criminal punishments.
If RUU 355 can be passed by an ordinary legislation and not by a constitutional amendment, what is to stop hudud laws from being implemented in the same manner in future? Non-Muslims and quite a few Muslims too, are not anti-Islam or interfering in Islamic matters in opposing RUU 355, but ensuring that the safeguards provided in the Federal Constitution continue to be upheld and protected.