Hasan dares Pas to call its bluff over hudud campaign

KUALA LUMPUR: Pas must clarify once and for all if it has indeed abandoned its original Islamic state agenda in favour of setting up a welfare state, former Selangor Pas commissioner Datuk Dr Hasan Mohamed Ali said.

He said the fact that the hudud issue had become a taboo subject within the party recently meant that the present Pas leadership no longer shared the aspirations of their founding fathers.

"Did Pas decide to drop its struggle for an Islamic state and the implementation of hudud after entering into an agreement with its Pakatan Rakyat counterparts, DAP and PKR? The agenda has been the essence of Pas' struggle since its inception more than 60 years ago, and abandoning it would affect the party's image," he told reporters yesterday.

Hasan said that the Pas leadership was divided in its opinion of the party's core struggle.

He was referring to the recent comments made by Pas Youth chief Nasrudin Hassan Tantawi, who claimed that DAP chairman Karpal Singh had agreed to reconsider the Islamic party's proposal to implement hudud.

"There has not been much response from the Pas leadership on this issue. None of the leaders have come out in support of Nasruddin after he was slammed by Karpal following his comments."

Parti Keadilan Rakyat ex-deputy president Dr Chandra Muzaffar said Pas' stand on hudud despite not getting DAP's consent showed both the parties had many differences and were not in agreement.

Dr Chandra, who is also International Movement for a Just World (Just) president, said the parties only cooperated because they had a common enemy which prevented them from seizing power at the state and federal levels.

"This shows that their relationship is opportunistic because they want to be in power and for no other reason."

DAP national chairman Dr Tan Seng Giaw, who is also Kepong member of parliament, said Pas' aspiration to implement hudud in the country was impossible because the party had to first amend the Federal Constitution.

"To implement hudud, there must be an amendment in Parliament. They know it is impossible to get a two-thirds majority in Parliament."

In fact, he said to date, the Syariah Criminal Law Enactment (II) 1993 (Hudud), which was passed by the Kelantan State Assembly in 1993, could not be enforced.

According to Dr Tan, the hudud issue was a complex one especially in a country which was made up of a plural society and it should not have been raised.

In Johor Baru, Johor Parti Keadilan Rakyat chief Datuk Chua Jui Meng said there was "no need to fight for an Islamic state anymore".

He reasoned that it was because Malaysia had already been declared an Islamic state.

Hasan dares Pas to call its bluff over hudud campaign

KUALA LUMPUR: Pas must clarify once and for all if it has indeed abandoned its original Islamic state agenda in favour of setting up a welfare state, former Selangor Pas commissioner Datuk Dr Hasan Mohamed Ali said.

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