The MCA today said it would ensure that PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang's private member's bill to amend Act 355 will not be debated in Parliament, despite being listed as item number four on the order paper.
MCA president Dr Liow Tiong Lai, however, did not reveal whether any move to delay the 'hudud bill' was a consensus decision by BN's 13 component parties as decided at its pre-council meeting yesterday.
"It is very clear that BN has made a consensus decision that (a) government bill will supersede a private bill.
"We will make sure that this bill will not be able to be debated because we know government bills must come first in Parliament," Liow told reporters during a press conference at Wisma MCA in Kuala Lumpur after officiating Selangor Wanita MCA's annual general assembly.
He also stressed that MCA had reiterated its stand against Abdul Hadi's proposed amendments to strengthen Syariah legislations many times in the past, prior to its latest appearance in Parliament at the last day of the last session on May 26.
"We (MCA) opposed strongly on this bill because this bill is against the Federal Constitution. This is very clear.”
"At the same time BN also raised an (objection) to it. I raised this issue at the BN meeting," he said.
Hadi's motion seeks to submit a private member's bill to the government to come up with a government bill to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act, allowing for higher levels of punishment than presently stipulated.
The amendments would remove the final obstacle to the implementation of hudud law in Kelantan, which was unanimously passed at state level last year by a majority of PAS and Umno assemblypersons and a single PKR representative.
Liow, meanwhile, also took a swipe at the DAP whom he claimed had always pointed fingers at MCA but yet remained in a state government with PAS in Selangor.
"Don't tell us they (DAP) have severed ties with PAS. Severing ties is just an excuse to tell the Chinese and others that the hudud bill has nothing to do with DAP.
"We want DAP to answer this question rightly, and don't run away from my question," said Liow.
Disagreements over implementation of hudud had largely contributed to break-up of the former Pakatan Rakyat federal opposition coalition, after DAP had severed ties with PAS. - Mkini
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