KUCHING, Sept 8 — The federal government’s plan to include a Bill on control and restrictions on the development of non-Muslim religions under the new shariah law has not gone down well with Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak Baru (PBDS).

Its president Bobby William questioned why the proposed new shariah law has to include a Bill on control and restrictions on the development of non-Muslim religions in Malaysia.

"Is Malaysia now under the new Prime Minister and his appointed cabinet going to change Malaysia to an Islamic State nation?

"We, as Sarawakians, have been and always will be a democratic multi-racial nation with multi-religious communities.

"We believe most Sarawakians will not agree to the inclusion of such a Bill and any implementation of hudud related enforcement of law in the name of democracy for equality of each tribal community and freedom of religion in Sarawak,” he said in a statement yesterday.

He was responding to a report that four new shariah laws are being drafted by the federal government, including a Bill on control and restrictions on the development of non-Muslim religions.

Bobby said the onus is now on Sarawak and Sabah Members of Parliament to stop such a Bill from becoming law.

This should be the time for the Ministers, Deputy Ministers, MPs as well as assemblymen from Sarawak and Sabah to prove how well do they recognise themselves as Sarawakians and Sabahans, he stressed.

"Did our forefathers ever agree that we must follow what Malaya has to say or did they ever agree that our nation and state be governed as an Islamic state of governance?

"Why is the proposed amendment Bill (commonly referred to as RUU355) being drafted again today?,” he asked.

Bobby said PBDS support the statement by Sarawak For Sarawakians (S4S) civil movement leader Peter John Jaban that if indeed the hudud law agenda is being put into motion again, Sarawak MPs must truly unite and stand up for Sarawakian’s democratic rights, equality and harmony of a multicultural state and cultural individualities.

"We believe that our forefathers from Sabah and Sarawak, when they finally agreed to form Malaysia with the federation of Malaya did not include a religious bind governance which integrates an Islamic hudud law with the civil law of democracy.

"Sarawak and Sabah have always been democratic and equal in our way of life, that’s how we honour and respect each other’s culture and tradition,” Bobby added. — Borneo Post Online