The MCA is flogging a dead horse by insisting that the DAP must stop Pas from tabling the Syariah Criminal Code Enactment II 1993.
It is blaming the DAP for this situation. It is insisting that the DAP, being part of the Pakatan coalition, must restrain Pas from going ahead with hudud.
Going by this argument, it can also be argued that the MCA must stop Umno from supporting Pas in the Kelantan State Assembly when the bill is tabled tomorrow (18 March). Isn’t the MCA a member of the Barisan Nasional coalition? What clout does the MCA actually have to restrain Umno from supporting the hudud enactment?
If the MCA can understand this difficult situation, it should appreciate the DAP’s dilemma in failing to persuade Pas not to go ahead with hudud.
The hudud issue was pushed to the fore by the BN. It was the then Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who goaded Pas to implement hudud. He even promised to amend the Federal Constitution to pave the way for the implementation of hudud. It was the BN that set in motion the hudud issue and its implementation.
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In 1993, when the syariah enactment was passed in the Kelantan State Assembly, it was with the unanimous support of Umno. And tomorrow, when Pas tables the syariah enactment, it will likewise receive the full support of BN/Umno for the implementation of hudud in Kelantan.
Though it is Umno that supports hudud, by implication, it is the BN that wants hudud to be implemented.
Again, by implication, with the MCA being a component party of the BN, it can be claimed with justification that the MCA is in support of the implementation of hudud in Kelantan.
To prove that the MCA is against hudud, it must tell Umno in no uncertain terms not to support Pas. If Umno ignores the MCA’s stand, will the MCA leave the BN? There is no other option for the the MCA if it is sincerely and honestly opposed to hudud.
It will be wishful thinking on the part of the MCA to believe that the DAP can stop Pas from proceeding with the hudud enactment. It can never happen.
But on the other hand, it is possible for all the other BN coalition partners to exert enough pressure to stop this issue from going anywhere. They can collectively take a common stand by serving notice on Umno not to vote with Pas in the state assembly. They should make it very clear that if their majority view is dismissed then they would leave the BN.
This is the only way to halt the implementation of hudud in Kelantan. Only the BN coalition partners can prevent hudud from being implemented.
If they don’t take this principled stand, then they must bear the blame and share the responsibility for the implementation of hudud. They will stand condemned by posterity and history for their lack of courage and the total absence of political will to take a stand based on their conscience and integrity.
The coalition partners must be guided by the saying, “He who allows oppression shares the crime” (Eramus Darwin).
P Ramakrishnan
Aliran Executive Committee member
17 March 2015
AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
- Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme
