It’s because gov't can’t be trusted to do right by hudud

YOURSAY | 'The government has always been dictatorial and arbitrary.’

Don't forget what our forefathers said about hudud

Vmsians: Thank you Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) vice-president Jagir Singh.

The article is a very good reminder of the Reid Commission's ‘social contract’ (the only social contract) for a secular state.

Parliamentary democracy and the secular federal constitution has long been undermined (mutilated to be exact) since 1988, when the judicial power of the federation vested in the civil courts was removed by the amendment to article 121(1) with the introduction of a new article 121(1A) that ousted the civil courts from syariah courts' jurisdiction.

Thus the establishment of two judicial systems. What next?

Hibiscus: Islamic law must be confined to family matters only, and where only Muslims are involved.

Extending Islamic law to beyond family matters, such as punishment for offences, will only cause strife among the citizens of this country which we call home.

Our founding fathers, in their wisdom, have stressed the point more than a few instances in writings and in speeches that Malaya, and later, Malaysia, is a secular state, governed by laws that can evolve to fit the times, not a state governed by any religious doctrine promulgated in medieval times, in an era when respect for human life and dignity was practically non-existent.

All lawmakers of this country are entrusted to protect the federal constitution which clearly says Malaysia is a secular state. They have taken an oath to do so.

MPs going back on their oath is a serious betrayal to the federal constitution, which is tantamount to treason.

Appum: Can we trust and believe what the promoters of hudud say today and what they actually implement on another day?

Hudud is an Islamic ideology and practice, and if it is practised in a totally Islamic country, there is no problem at all.

But Malaysia is not an Islamic country although Islam is the official religion. It is clearly stated in the constitution that Malaysia is a secular country.

Someone said earlier, "keep religion out of politics", which is great. But look at how the current political landscape is conceived.

The current government is using religion (and race) to rule and keep themselves in power. Now PAS is trying to turn this country into an Islamic state.

This is only possible if this nation is divided into two halves, one half a Malaysian Malaysia and the other half an Islamic Malaysia.

Let the people choose which state they wish to belong to independently. Promises that hudud will not affect non-Muslims is absolutely unbelievable.

Just like how the New Economic Policy (NEP) was supposed to be in place only for 20 years, but now it has become a permanent right of the bumiputeras.

6th Generation Immigrant: Islam is not a religion of compulsion but individual submissions, or so it has been preached often enough by Muslims.

However, general and subtle enforcement, conversions, changes or amendments of the rules, encroachment of rights, supremacist views or in simple sporting language, "shifting of the goalpost each game", is compulsion, no matter how subtle or covert it may be.

Tony Soprano: So who gives a damn? The Malaysian government has always been dictatorial and arbitrary. The so-called "constitution", to them, is totally irrelevant.

The Analyser: I know it is hard for religious people to stop looking backwards and to start thinking about the future. But that is where Malaysia is at the moment.

What the intentions were in the past are no longer relevant. Malaysia needs some entity, and my guess is it should be a political party rather than a religion, to take them by the hand and lead them into the future where human rights, egalitarianism and democracy are standard practice.

Don't go living in the past, but do learn from the past. Malaysia needs to be renewed and renovated after 60 years of rotten governance, but it must be the Malaysia that Malaysians want, not one from 40 or 50 years ago.

Might I suggest that if the MCCBCHST plans to mount a campaign against hudud, or any other Islamic matter, you will immediately alienate a goodly proportion of the Malaysian people ... and lose.

Hudud is a secular issue and must be dealt with in a secular manner. It must be abandoned on the basis that is unconstitutional and barbaric, and not on the basis of any remotely religious argument.

Aminnudin Kadir: Jagir, "To you be your religion, and to me my religion."

Victor Johan: Nike's tagline is 'Just Do It', Najib's is 'Just Duit', and PAS' is 'Hudud It'. We the people ask, 'Who'll Do It, Dude?' -Mkini