PAS Secretary General, Takiyuddin Hassan, also the MP of Kota Baru, issued a press statement at the PAS headquarters in KL today, 28.11.2016. He has ‘threatened’ non-Muslim MP’s from interfering with Abdul Hadi Awang’s motion to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 (ACT 355). He has stated that in retaliation, Muslim MP’s would then object towards the amendments to the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976.
Firstly, I am astounded by the fact that till to date Takiyuddin hasn’t come to sense that Parliament isn’t the place for his archaic barter system to take place. Every MP elected should represent and serve all constituents regardless of race, religion, gender, and etc. Dato Seri Nazri Aziz, a fellow Muslim MP has stated that the reason Kelantan needs stricter Shariah laws is because the state has failed to eradicate the necessary crimes all this while and thus require these amendments, does Takiyuddin agree to this?
The amendments to the Law Reform (Marriage & Divorce) Act 1976 is actually well received by other Muslim MP’s as well. They believe that this will guarantee converts genuinely embrace Islam, rather than using Islam as a platform just to evade their responsibilities. Takiyuddin had inadvertently stated that he would rather vote against having genuine Muslim converts as long as stiffer Shariah punishment is enacted.
The government first agreed on talks with regards to unilateral conversion in the year 2005. 3 cabinet committees were formed, all because of our tireless push from day 1. When I raised this issue in Parliament in 2009, there were no support at all from component BN parties, who till today still dilly dally their position, rather than giving a firm and final ultimatum. There have been many cases which are reported in Law Journals, one of it being Indra Gandhi’s battle to ensure she gets custody of her baby that was taken away by her husband, 7 years ago.
Is this PAS’s last straw in Malaysian politics? PAS has probably realised that without the collaboration with Pakatan Harapan, PAS has to work with UMNO to ensure their political survival. A private member’s bill rarely sees the light of day. What has been promised to and by Hadi Awang for this Bill to even be tabled? And since when has Takiyuddin been appointed as spokesperson for all the Muslim MP’s? It appears as a case of a desperate ‘shiok sendiri’. We will not compromise as our stand on the matter is very clear. We will not be cowed by Takiyuddin’s theatrics. Our duty and responsibility is to the Malaysian society at large.