Thick in the head

Grow up, PAS supporters. Stop acting like bloody spoiled children who throw tantrums every time someone does not agree with you. You are still far from matured. And until you show maturity do not expect us to show you respect. Respect must be earned. Stop demanding that we show you respect when you have not earned it.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

We are still seeing a lot of venom being spitted out because of my article on Hudud. The trouble is these people appear to think they have every right to propagate Hudud (just because they happen to be Muslim-Malays) and others have absolutely no right to oppose the issue.

They appear to have forgotten one very crucial issue. PAS is a political party. Therefore, whatever PAS says and does is politics. That is all it is. Politics. Nothing more nothing less.

Any political party is allowed to propagate and promote its objective, aspiration, ideology, mission, vision, manifesto, and what have you. This is the right of all political parties. And in that same spirit, any citizen of Malaysia has the right to disagree with what these political parties stand for.

It just happens to be that PAS promotes the Hudud issue. And those who do not support this issue are allowed to oppose it. What if PAS promotes the issue that every Malaysian citizen must be given a free cow? Do we have the right to oppose that if we disagree with this idea?

What if PAS says that Malaysian males of the age of 15 must be allowed to vote and for females it should be the age of 11 because that is the age of puberty? Can we disagree with that proposal on grounds that Malaysians of ages 11-15 are just too young and instead propose that all Malaysians of the age of 18 should be allowed to vote since they can get married and can drive a car at that age -- so they should also be allowed to vote at that age?

PAS members and Malaysians in general scream that Barisan Nasional and Umno do not respect the Federal Constitution of Malaysia. But do the PAS supporters respect the Constitution?

Article 8 (1 and 2) of the Constitution says all Malaysians must be treated equal. So how can Muslims suffer a different punishment from non-Muslims for crimes they commit? Is this not a violation of the Constitution? And is PAS respecting the Constitution by proposing different punishments for crimes based on your religion? The Constitution says there must be no discrimination based on religion.

PAS requires non-Muslims to pay ‘Islamic’ tax other than income tax. Muslims pay zakat and non-Muslims pay kharaj. Is this not a violation of Article 11(2) of the Constitution?

Why scream about Barisan Nasional and Umno not respecting the Constitution when we too do not respect it? We scream blue murder when it suits us. But we also violate the Constitution when it suits us.

This is what these emotional PAS supporters are overlooking. PAS is a political party. And everything they say and do must be seen as politics. And in politics we have a right to agree, disagree, and agree to disagree.

So what if PAS happens to be talking about Islam or Islamic laws? It is still politics since PAS is a political party. And in politics we have every right to agree or disagree with what you say and do.

Grow up, PAS supporters. Stop acting like bloody spoiled children who throw tantrums every time someone does not agree with you. You are still far from matured. And until you show maturity do not expect us to show you respect. Respect must be earned. Stop demanding that we show you respect when you have not earned it.

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DAP will not compromise on hudud issue, says Karpal

(The Star) - DAP will not depart from its stand that Malaysia should not be an Islamic country.

DAP chairman Karpal Singh said PAS should not infringe the ruling by the five-men bench Supreme Court ruling in 1988, which decreed that the country is governed by secular laws.

“This ruling is not overturned and therefore the decision still stands.

“PAS has to accept the Supreme Court’s pronunciation,” he told a press conference at the Air Itam market yesterday.

He was commenting on PAS Youth chief Nasrudin Hassan Tantawi’s statement that it would continue to push for the implementation of Islamic laws in Malaysia despite fierce objection from the DAP.

Karpal Singh, who is also Bukit Gelugor MP, said the party would not compromise on its principles to appease its political partners.

He said DAP was not anti-Malay or anti-Islam but “what we want in absolute terms is what the Constitution provides for and for what the Supreme Court has decreed”.

“Syariah laws means hudud laws and hudud laws are inappropriate for a multi-cultural and multi-racial country like Malaysia.”

On the allegation made by Umno Youth that the state government was using the Penang Turf Club’s contribution to fund its hardcore poor eradication programme, Karpal Singh said Umno should not exploit the issue.

“The income of the country or at least part of it is from gambling.

“If Umno is right, then all governments (state and Federal) should be condemned as the gambling permits are also issued by the Federal Government,” he said.

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Federal Constitution of Malaysia

Article 8

1. All persons are equal before the law and entitled to the equal protection of the law.

2. Except as expressly authorized by this Constitution, there shall be no discrimination against citizens on the ground only of religion, race, descent or place of birth in any law relating to the acquisition, holding or disposition of property or the establishing or carrying on of any trade, business, profession, vocation or employment.

Article 11

1. Every person has the right to profess and practice his religion and, subject to Clause (4), to propagate it.

2. No person shall be compelled to pay any tax the proceeds of which are specially allocated in whole or in part for the purposes of a religion other than his own.