Winning Putrajaya will always come second to the implementation of the party’s much treasured Islamic criminal laws or hudud, said Kelantan Deputy Chief Minister Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah.
He also claimed that it does not matter if PAS is kicked out of Pakatan Rakyat by its hudud-opposing allies DAP and PKR so long as the Islamic party’s goal is achieved.
According to Amar, PAS must implement hudud by all means, even if it has to sleep with its arch-rival, Umno.
This is because there is no guarantee that the party will be allowed to do so even if Pakatan wins federal power.
“The question is not of whether we will get to Putrajaya. Some tell us that if we fight for hudud, we will not get to Putrajaya.
“But look at 2013, we changed from Islamic state to welfare state, and we allowed the non-Muslims to use the ‘kalimah’ Allah and still, we did not win (Putrajaya).
“When it comes to implementing Islam, Putrajaya will come second. If they (Pakatan) do that (kick PAS out of Pakatan), we will accept it,” said Amar, who is anointed party spokesperson on hudud.
Means to an end
Amar, who spoke at length to Malaysiakini on hudud implementation in Kelantan, said that Putrajaya is only a means to an end for PAS.
“Putrajaya is not our objective; it is the means to implement something bigger. So, now that we have Kelantan, we implement what is in our hearts.
“What is our reason in getting to Putrajaya? For example, when we buy a car, is that because the end is we want to go to the mosque?
“The car is the means to that end. If you buy the car and cannot go to the mosque, what is the point?
“That is our belief. Others have their opinion. For them, Putrajaya is important. We are not saying Putrajaya is not important, but our struggle is beyond getting to Putrajaya.
“The struggle of PAS is to implement Islam. If you ask me sincerely, if we do get to Putrajaya and we cannot implement hudud, what is the point?
“An easy example is this - we get married to have children, but after we got married and we do not have children, what is the point?
“Who can guarantee that if we win Putrajaya, we can implement hudud? Who can guarantee that?
“Now, people are saying that this is not the struggle of Pakatan, and this not the agenda of Pakatan so if we win Putrajaya, these kinds of statements will emerge again.
“Why don’t we try (to implement hudud)? And, if we try and fail, at least we have tried,” reasoned Amar.
No need for referendum
The Kelantan deputy MB had argued given that Umno is supporting them now on the implementation of the Islamic criminal code, PAS should take this opportunity to bring a private member’s bill on hudud to Parliament to get it passed.
Amar had also insisted that PAS’ hudud in Kelantan will not be like the much criticised Islamic criminal laws imposed in Nigeria and Pakistan, as much preparations had gone into it, such as workshops on the painstaking process in reaching a decision, for example, to lob off hands of thieves.
He said that although PAS had shelved hudud on joining Pakatan in 2008 and the controversial issue was not even discussed in recent PAS central committee meetings, Amar insisted that all PAS leaders are for it.
The only thing they differed is on when hudud should be implemented.
“We (PAS central committee) have agreed with the technical committee (on hudud) that all its recommendations will be used as the basis for hudud implementation. We agreed on this in PAS. We only differed on the timing. On implementing Islam, all PAS people agreed,” claimed Amar.
The Kelantan government has formed a technical committee to prepare for the implementation of hudud. There is also a hudud technical committee at the federal level.
That committee which includes representatives from Umno was set up after PAS said it would table a private members' bill in Parliament to implement the Syariah Criminal Code (II) Enactment 1993 in Kelantan.
The bill is aimed at getting approval for hudud law to be implemented under Article 76(A) of the federal constitution.
Amar also argued that there is no need for a referendum by the people of Kelantan on the implementation of hudud because the fact that they have voted PAS in the past 23 years to power in the state is proof enough that they want hudud.
“When the Kelantanese have supported us consistently for many terms, this is more than a referendum.” - M'kini
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