Parti Amanah Negara strategy director Dzulkefly Ahmad has likened PAS' touting amendments to Act 355 as a solution to the country's ills to a doctor misdiagnosing a patient.
He said before a cure is administered, the disease and syndrome need to be identified first.
In the case of the country, Dzulkefly noted, it was facing racial and religious divisions, a multitude of scandals including 1MDB, rising cost of living due to austerity measures and erosion of the country's institutions.
"In a situation like this, people ask how amendments to Act 355 would resolve the people's troubles.
"The picture (given by PAS) is akin to a doctor misdiagnosing and providing the wrong medication.
"Or, more accurately, the doctor does not provide a diagnosis because he professes to be an expert on the patient's disease. There is no need to know the cause of the disease," Dzulkefly said in a statement today.
He was responding to the Act 355 rally last Saturday, spearheaded by PAS, in a display of support for the amendments of the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965, or Act 355.
The amendments seek to increase the punishment that can be meted out by the syariah court, from three years' imprisonment, RM5,000 fine and six strokes of the rotan to 30 years' imprisonment, RM100,000 fine and 100 strokes of the rotan.
Dzulkefly noted that individuals who were part of the country's problems were unashamed in turning up and supporting the Act 355 rally.
"Some question how can Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Jamil Khir Baharom, who is facing a RM20 million suit by Yayasan Pembangunan Anak Yatim/Miskin (Pemangkin) for various alleged wrongdoings involving the orphan's foundation's funds, can speak at the event.
"It is even more embarrassing if he was there on the instruction of the prime minister, who is known as 'Malaysian Official 1' in the 1MDB scandal," he said.
Inflated crowd size
Dzulkefly also noted that PAS information chief Nasruddin Hassan had inflated the crowd size at the rally to 300,000 despite police putting the figure at 20,000 and the media putting it at between 15,000 and 50,000.
He said the psychology behind the inflated numbers was simply to silence critics.
However, Dzulkefly said, differences over the proposed amendments should be debated, instead of silence.
He lamented the obsession of Islamic parties across the world in seeing a simplistic solution to issues by turning to punishments, or legal reductionism.
Dzulkefly also noted that some PAS leaders had hailed the rally as a show of Malay-Muslim unity and that Act 355 could be a battle cry for them.
"But for what purpose? To defend kleptocracy and a new kind of sectarianism?
"If this is what is meant, then it is unfortunate as it goes against Islam," he said.
Dzulkefly said a nation should be built based on co-existence and all citizens are considered equals.
He said the ultimate question beyond the Act 355 debate was how to address the people's and nation's woes.- Mkini
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