We don’t ignore rights of minorities — Karim

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SIBU: Malaysia is formed on a platform of equality and freedom, thus the feelings of the minority, their culture and belief should not be ignored, said PBB supreme council member Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.

He was reacting to PAS deputy spiritual leader Datuk Dr Haron Din’s statement that Hudud laws would be implemented if Pakatan Rakyat (PR) ruled the country.

“PAS is a party formed by Islamic fundamentalists to change Malaysian political system to ‘their’ type of Islamic government based on their type of Islamic Laws and using ‘Hudud Laws’ as their mode of enforcing their laws.

“In a multi-religious and multi-racial society like Malaysia, it is unwise to force its citizens to adopt one’s religious belief or have a set of laws based on one’s religious belief and force it onto others,” Abdul Karim, who is Assistant Minister of Youth Development and Asajaya assemblyman, said yesterday.

Dr Haron had reportedly said there would not be much problem with DAP accepting the Hudud law, judging from their willingness to contest under PAS symbol.

Karim, however, believed otherwise, given the differences in their ideologies.

“How DAP is willing to put aside their principle and embrace PAS and likewise, how PAS is willing to embrace DAP when their ideology and belief are wide apart is beyond my imagination,” he said.

Last August, PAS made a similar statement on their intention to implement Hudud law, which drew brickbats from BN leaders nationwide.

Back then, PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu was reported in a Chinese daily as saying that PAS would push for the implementation of Hudud once the opposition unlocked the gates of Putrajaya.

Sabu’s statement had cast doubt among BN leaders on whether it could do it, considering that PAS could not even enforce it in Kelantan, which it had ruled for so many years.