Baru insists Act 355 amendment is Hudud

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KUCHING: State PKR chairman Baru Bian maintains that the amendment of the Syariah Courts Act (Criminal Jurisdiction Act 1965) (Act 355) is introduction of Hudud law in essence no matter how it is called.

He said Sarawakian politicians should not just accept that the amendment of Act 355 was not Hudud just because Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said it was not.

“Whatever names you call it, it is Hudud in all forms and in essence. They are now trying to say that it is not Hudud to get the support from the component parties,” Baru told The Borneo Post yesterday.

The Ba Kelalan state assemblyman said state PKR’s stance remained the same and there was no wavering.

Baru was responding to Najib’s support to PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang’s private member’s Bill in seeking to increase the power of the Syariah Court to mete out heavier punishment.

In the television interview, Najib said he would try to convince other BN component parties to also accept the Bill which he said would not affect non-Muslims.

The prime minister also admitted that the relationship between Umno and PAS had improved.

Baru held the view that the proposal to amend Act 355 has been both Umno’s and PAS’s political move to win over Muslim voters but the move also revealed the fact that both parties have been working hand in glove.

“Yes, they are working together and they are preparing to work as a team for 14th General Election,” said Baru.

Meanwhile, state DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen said Najib was stating the obvious when expressing support for Hadi’s Bill.

“Obviously, he (Najib) supports it or the Bill will never get mentioned or read out in the parliament,” said Chong who is Kota Sentosa assembly and Kuching MP.

Chong pointed out that Najib is the president of Barisan Nasional (BN) and he spoke on behalf of all BN component parties though their leaders had expressed objection to the Bill.

“This shows that non-Umno party members within BN are irrelevant when it comes to major policy making.  Component parties such as SUPP and PRS have objected vehemently but their objections amount to nothing when Umno sits with PAS,” said Chong.

He said state DAP made a clean cut with PAS instantly after knowing the fundamental differences between DAP and PAS.  State DAP which had stood by its principle severed ties with the party as a result.

Chong thus called on SUPP and PRS as well as peninsular based BN component parties such as MCA and MIC to leave BN since BN president Najib had taken the stance of supporting Act 355.