The statement by UMNO Supreme Council member Ahmad Maslan that Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties are compelled to support the proposed amendments to the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act (Act 355) now that the same has been taken over by the Federal Government is confirmation that BN MPs are mere rubberstamps of Government Bills regardless of how controversial the said Bill is.
Ahmad Maslan’s statement sounds more like a directive to all BN MPs to support the said Bill and makes a mockery of the so called strenuous objections of the said Bill by various BN component parties when it was first brought by PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang.
Hadi’s said Bill is the same as the Bill that has now been taken over by the Government and it is elementary that MPs may support, oppose or abstain from voting from any Bill regardless of their political affiliation. As such, there is no reason for BN component parties such as MCA and Gerakan to depart from their previous stance against Hadi’s Bill simply because the said Bill has now been taken over by the Government.
It must be made clear at once that the DAP has been consistent in its stand against the said Bill as the same contravenes the Federal Constitution. It is the DAP’s stand that the said Bill is, therefore, unconstitutional and does not become constitutional merely because it has been taken over by the Government. As such, the DAP’s stand on the matter remains unaffected regardless of who proposes to table the said Bill as its character remains the same.
The BN component parties opposed to the said Bill must make their stand clear now in light of Ahmad Maslan’s said statement as their silence on the matter will, no doubt, be construed as an endorsement of Ahmad Maslan’s said statement.
Are they still opposed to the said Bill now that the Federal Government has taken over the same and will this be their stand when it is debated during the next Parliamentary sitting?
The MCA, Gerakan, MIC and other BN component parties who were opposed to the said Bill during the time it was proposed by Hadi must unequivocally answer the above question forthwith, failing which, the assumption that they are not opposed to it would be irresistible.