Ku Nan: The consensus was BN's stand will be decided by consensus

A few BN parties have claimed ignorance on BN secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor's claim that the coalition had arrived at a consensus regarding PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang's Private Member's Bill related to Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965.

However Tengku Adnan told Malaysiakini today the 'consensus' he meant was that whatever decision the coalition made, must be on the basis of consensus by all parties.

The Federal Territories minister admitted BN has yet to make an official stand on the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act, or Act 355.

“We will look and see what is all about first. The decision will be made in Parliament, wait a while," he said.

Whatever decision will be made must be confined to the Federal Constitution, he added.

Gerakan Youth deputy chief Andy Yong had expressed doubts of what Tengku Adnan had claimed, saying there was no briefing from Gerakan president Mah Siew Keong on the matter.

Yong also claimed his party is still firmly rejecting Act 355.

It was also reported that MCA, Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) and Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) were unaware of the purported consensus on Hadi's bill.

However Tengku Adnan urged that those in doubt should speak to their party's president.

"What can I say if they are not aware?" he said.

He said BN did not call for a special meeting to discuss Hadi's Bill as the BN leaders could raise the matter in the BN supreme council meeting, which is held every two or three months.

Even if one party objects in a BN meeting, he said, the ruling coalition will not go ahead with the matter under discussion.

No meeting will be called before the Parliament sitting, which will commence Oct 17, he added.

However, BN knows full well the stand taken by each of the component parties regarding Hadi's bill, he said.

Hadi's Bill seeks to strengthen Act 355, by removing the current limits of the syariah courts' punishment of a maximum fine of RM5,000, three years' jail or six strokes of the rotan.

It is referred to as the ‘Hudud Bill’ as it would ultimately pave the way for the partial implementation of the Islamic penal code, specifically in PAS-ruled Kelantan, which has already passed an enactment to that effect.

However, the Kelantan state enactment cannot be implemented as long as the punishment limits meted out by the syariah courts remain.

BN component parties such as MCA, MIC and Gerakan have strongly opposed the Bill, with their top leaders vowing to resign from the cabinet if it is passed.

In the last session of the parliamentary sitting, the government moved a motion to prioritise Hadi's Bill, though the Marang MP requested for the debate to be postponed to the next parliamentary sitting, beginning on Oct 17. -Mkini