Upko to oppose hudud bill
United Pasok Momogun KadazanDusun Murut Organization will oppose PAS’ private members’ bill on hudud should it be tabled in Parliament its acting president Datuk Wilfred Madius Tangau said.
PENAMPANG: United Pasok Momogun KadazanDusun Murut Organization (Upko) will oppose PAS’ private members' bill on hudud should it be tabled in Parliament, its acting President Datuk Wilfred Madius Tangau said.
Madius said Upko however hopes that Dewan Negara Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia would use his wisdom not to allow that kind of Private Member Bill to ever be tabled in Parliament.
“Upko maintains our position that we will continue to safeguard whatever that has been agreed in the Malaysia Agreement and the Malaysia Agreement is very clear that Malaysia would remain a secular state although Islam will be the religion of the nation, other religions are free to be practiced.
“And in as far as administration of justice, administration of criminal and civil laws, it is very clear in the federal constitution. So if there is a Private Member Bill in Parliament, Upko will definitely oppose it but we hope that the Speaker will use his wisdom not to allow that kind of Private Member Bill to ever be tabled i n Parliament,” he told reporters at the party’s headquarters here yesterday.
Madius pointed out that should the Bill be tabled in Parliament, it will definitely divide the nation.
He also disclosed that Barisan Nasional (BN) component leaders have met with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on Friday to discuss the issue and the latter was of the opinion that the move by PAS was political.
“However this particular Bill is something to do with religion and a Muslim member of the House cannot go against his own faith. If they go against their own faith then their constituents will be asking, ‘do you no longer believe in your faith?'
“The good thing about BN is that we are always in consensus like in this issue, the Prime Minister called all the BN component parties and we have made a consensual stand which the Prime Minister will announce in a statement,” Madius said.
PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang is seeking to table the private members’ bill in Parliament during the current sitting ending April 9.
The bill is to amend the Shariah Courts Act (Criminal Jurisdiction) 1965, which limits the power of the Shariah courts to a maximum penalty of RM3,000 in fine, five years’ jail and six strokes of the rotan.
An amendment is required in this law to enable Kelantan to carry out hudud law, after the state assembly on Thursday unanimously passed the Shariah Criminal Code II Enactment 1993 (Amendment 2015).
Madius added that the PAS government in Kelantan made a legislation that is clearly ultra vires to the Constitution because they have gone beyond their power as the matter pertaining to civil and criminal law is the ambit of the Federal Government.
“It is in the Federal list of the Federal Constitution. It is not in the state list, it is not the power of the state government but they went on to make a legislation that is not within their power. They also made a legislation beyond what is allowed by the Syariah Court.
“What is interesting now is for us to look at what is the Court going to decide on the Writ of Summons by Gerakan in Kelantan. They are seeking for court declaration whether or not the decision of the Kelantan state legislative assembly is valid,” he added.