KOTA KINABALU: Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) president Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan yesterday said that the party would launch a protest if PAS tabled the Private Member’s Bill on hudud law at Parliament.
Pairin, who is also Sabah Deputy Chief Minister and Member of Parliament for Keningau, said PBS would protest the motion not only because hudud law might contravene the Federal Constitution, but also because the efforts to implement hudud law were seen to be a backward move for Malaysia.
“Today, many countries want the gallows and the death penalty to be abolished. Some of the punishment in the bill are already exist in the Penal Code. Do we need double punishment? It is clear that we will not support this.”
Pairin said this to reporters after opening the conference and exhibition held in conjunction with the state-level World Water Day celebration here yesterday.
Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) president Tan Sri Joseph Kurup said his party will also object if the Hudud Bill to be introduced by PAS is brought before parliament.
“Malaysia is a multi-racial, multi-cultural and multi-religious country and therefore Hudud is unsuitable for this country,” said Kurup, who is also a minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, in Keningau yesterday.
Kurup, who is also the Pensiangan member of parliament, said it would go against the expectation and spirit of this nation, Malaysia.
“And this remains the expectation of Malaysian people today and I firmly believe that because of the multi-racial, multi-cultural and multi-religious character of our nation, this spirit and expectations will remain in these coming years and beyond.
“This will not help nation building but instead in our opinion, will divide the nation.
“Above all, the implementation of Hudud Bill contravenes the relevant provisions of our Federal Constitution, which is the Supreme law of our land,” Kurup stressed.
In KUALA LUMPUR, DAP national organising secretary Anthony Loke Siew Fook claimed that PAS had broken its promises when it did not refer to the opposition pact before submitting the motion to table the Private Member’s Bill on hudud law or the Syariah Criminal Code II 1993 (Amendment 2015) at the Parliament.
He said PAS’ move also contravened the decision of the opposition leadership council meeting on Feb 8 which agreed that any amendment on the Code and Private Member’s Bill motion should be discussed by the council first.
“We have always thought that Hadi (PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang) is a respectable leader who can keep his promises, but from his action, we know he’s not,” Loke told reporters.