I have personally spoken to Parliamentary Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim conveying the DAP top leadership’s anger at the lies spread by PKR National Vice-President Tian Chua that PR and DAP had agreed to PAS implementing hudud only in Kelantan and Terengganu. DAP considers it irresponsible, wrong and unethical for Tian Chua to drag DAP into adopting his stand of supporting PAS in implementing hudud laws within the borders of Kelantan and Terengganu, but not in other parts of Malaysia.
Datuk Seri Anwar had reaffirmed in both his private conversation with me and public statements yesterday that DAP had consistently opposed the implementation of hudud laws on Muslims in Kelantan. PR operates on a consensus basis with all 3 parties in DAP, PKR and PAS having to agree before a policy becomes PR policy. Therefore PAS’ policy of implementing hudud laws on Muslims in Kelantan is not PR policy because of DAP’s firm stand in opposing the implementation of hudud laws has not changed.
DAP leaders were shocked when Tian Chua declared in Chinese newspapers that implementing hudud laws in Kelantan and Terengganu is PR policy because this was agreed to by PR and DAP. Tian Chua’s lies were given wide coverage in the mainstream media despite not supported being facts or documentation.
Tian Chua and other non-Muslim PKR leaders have every right to support PAS implementing hudud laws on Muslims in Kelantan. However they should not drag DAP down to the same level as them to justify their support for PAS. DAP leaders hope that Tian Chua will stop repeating such lies in view of Datuk Seri Anwar’s publicly reaffirmation that DAP had never agreed to the implementation of hudud laws by PAS.
I would also wish to urge PAS leaders to focus on economic management and good governance, which will be the decisive factor in winning or losing elections. PR had recorded successes in the 2008 general elections because of UMNO’s failure in economic management and good governance leading to corruption and abuses of power. PAS won in 2008 general elections without campaigning on implementing hudud laws.
Even in the 2013 general elections, UMNO had won more seats and Muslim votes despite Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak declaring on 25.9.2011 that the Government will not enforce hudud law in Malaysia. Najib even said there were already elements of hudud in the present legal system “minus the extreme part”. However, Najib has now flip-flopped on the BN government’s previous position from not enforcing the hudud law to publicly lauding PAS’ proposals to implement hudud law and is willing to meet PAS leaders to discuss this.
Clearly UMNO has no principles and is now supporting the implementation of hudud to set up a devious political trap for PAS, that pits PAS against DAP with the sole intention of breaking up PR. If UMNO can win elections and Malay votes without campaigning on implementing hudud laws, PAS can do the same. Focus on issues of livelihood, economic, employment and educational opportunities will determine who wins the next general elections.