Hudud: Malaysia will lose big

If the Islamic penal law comes into force in Kelantan, it will affect the whole country.

COMMENT

Politicians on both sides of the divide are only trying to play their cards to win popularity in the hudud game to achieve their goals without any thought about the macro or world impact it will have.

The opposing side has given all the reasons why hudud should not be implemented and the legal aspect which contravenes the Federal Constitution.

One of the main reasons is that the Islamic penal code is not suitable for a secular country like Malaysia.

What will the world reaction be if the Hudud Bill is passed and Islamic law implemented in Kelantan?

Brunei, which introduced Islamic law a few days ago, has come under international scrutiny. Celebrities, including Virgin group founder Richard Branson, have vowed to boycott a hotel chain linked to the Brunei sultan.

Branson said over the weekend that Virgin employees would not stay at the Dorchester luxury hotel chain, which includes The Dorchester in London and the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles.

Others who have called for a boycott include comedian Stephen Fry, TV host Sharon Osbourne and comedian Ellen DeGeneres.

The US group Feminist Majority Foundation said it had also pulled its annual Global Women’s Rights Awards, co-chaired by Jay and Mavis Leno, from the Beverly Hills Hotel in protest.

These are only a few who have come out strongly against Brunei for now. The chorus of opposition to the law will grow louder in the days ahead.

Malaysia can expect a similar reaction if the Hudud Bill is passed.

Foreign investment will affect not only in Kelantan but other states, too, because the world will conclude that it will be a matter of time before the whole country adopts such a law.

There can even be a boycott of Malaysian products and investments abroad, and this will have a devastating effect on the economy, which the country can ill-afford.

Brunei being a rich country, and small, can absorb what is thrown against it but not Malaysia.

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Human rights organisations the world over will be the first to react, followed by foreign consumer associations, feminist groups and other NGOs.

These groups are significantly large and will cause a great impact if they decide to boycott goods, investments or travel.

The brunt of the impact will be felt in Kelantan with no domestic and foreign investors willing to step in the state and the tourism industry coming to a standstill.

The younger generation in Kelantan growing up in the era of Facebook, twitter, and other social media will soon migrate to other states or even other countries. With no local or foreign investments what will happen to Kelantan?

Western countries will be cautious in any trade investments and link the country to terrorism, because of the extreme Islamic views.

The world is also watching closely after the disappearance of flight MH370, and the recent seizure of Malay Bibles, the banning of Malay books, the persecution of Shi’ites and sedition cases against the opposition will not be seen in good light by foreign countries.

Overall, Malaysia will be looked at as an extremist Islamic nation and this will hinder the growth of the country.

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has portrayed to the world that the country is a moderate Islamic state and his image will take a beating internationally or he will be seen as a weak leader.

Even the second home plan to attract foreigners to take up residence in Malaysia will be affected.

There is so much to achieve such as eradicating corruption, crime, wastage of government funds, instead the country is deviating from the serious issues and concentrating on petty ones.

More focus should placed on creating a just society where every citizen is treated equally.

RamaSegar is a FMT team member.