KUCHING: The Hudud law issue that has caught the country by storm after the Kelantan State Legislative Assembly passed it last Thursday will be an acid test for BN solidarity.
This is because the PAS-led Kelantan had the support of Umno elected representatives in passing the law.
Malaysians are now waiting anxiously as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who is also Umno president, is expected to state his stand on the issue today (Tuesday).
PRS president Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Masing has made his stance clear that his party would not support the hudud law if it were tabled in Parliament.
“Disagreement over the hudud among the BN component parties (if any) will be a test of BN solidarity as well as our maturity in politics. Are we big enough to agree to disagree (on hudud) without resulting us dismantling the structure that has kept us united over the years?” Masing wondered yesterday.
He added that in Malaysia, the supreme law of the land should be the Federal Constitution, in which Article 5 states the liberty of the person(s). Article 5.1 further states that no one shall be deprived of his/her life personal liberty, save in accordance with the law.
“Hudud criminalises religious wrong doings and punishes the offenders with laws made by man. That’s wrong! These religious psychopaths should be judged by divine laws i.e. after death,” said Masing who is also an anthropologist by training.
However, Masing declined to comment if the BN would be split if Najib decided to support the implementation of hudud law in Kelantan.
Besides PRS, other BN component parties in the state that opposed the move are SUPP and PBB. Other BN component parties that have openly opposed its implementation are MCA, Gerakan, Upko and PBS.
In the Pakatan Rakyat side, the DAP also opposed the implementation of this conservative Islamic law.