KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 13 — A PAS delegate representing Kelantan today urged the Islamic party leaders to temporarily stop the call for the implementation of hudud law.
Datuk Hassan Mohamood while debating the presidential speech at the party’s 66th annual general meeting said PAS’s should instead focus on strengthening the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government first.
“After taking over our country we need to learn what priorities we need to implement, in other words, we need to learn the fiqh (islamic philosophy) of priorities.
“Do not be influenced by dissenting voices, or in abusive language, ‘the devil’s voice’. When do you want to make hudud? Do not ask this (implementation of hudud). We have to ask what we should do now?
“Religion is the basis of the guardian government and we just have (to become) a guard (to the government).
“This government is (like) fences. So, now what do we have to do? We need to strengthen the (government’s) fence.
“Right now the fences are still shaky,” he told the delegations at Kota Baru.
The party’s core campaign over the years has been to amend the Shariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 (Act 355) to enable the implementation of hudud law.
In April 2017, the Barisan Nasional administration allowed Abdul Hadi to table a private members’ bill seeking the amendment of the Act 355.
However, the Dewan Rakyat sitting was postponed and the bill was never debated.
During the Pakatan Harapan-administration, PAS leaders had repeatedly urged the government to work on the passage of Act 355, which never happened.
The ability of the PN government to pass any bill is currently in doubt because the government bench only has a slim majority.
Initially, Abdul Hadi was seeking amendments to Act 355 which would remove all the penalty caps that could be imposed by Syariah Courts.
Only two states — Kelantan and Terengganu — currently have Shariah courts that impose corporal punishments, including death sentences.
The amendments PAS seeks to amend is the current penalty caps of three years jail, RM5,000 fine and six lashes to 30 years jail, RM100,000 fine and 100 lashes.
