PAS cannot brush aside questions on Hadi’s bill

We must be allowed to fully understand the party's pet legislation because it may affect us all.

COMMENT

It’s certainly worrying that PAS seems intent on keeping us in the dark on the implications of its proposed amendments to Act 355. This showed when its vice-president, Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah, said public understanding of what the bill would entail was not necessary. He rationalised his stand by comparing it to the implementation of the GST, essentially saying, “If not now, when?”

To be fair to him, it’s true that some things can never get done if governments do not take drastic measures at crucial times and instead wait for full public understanding of its intentions and the consequences thereof.

However, amending Act 355 possibly represents a life-altering shift in the Malaysian experience. Surely the implications must be thoroughly studied before the bill is even tabled. It just seems wrong to deny the public a say in a decision that could change the entire foundation of our society, that is, from a nominal democracy to something close to a theocracy.

Why this is so important goes back to what we know about PAS. For decades, it has refused to be held accountable for its behaviour, resisting all attempts to do so by painting would-be examiners as either aberrant to the faith or an enemy of it.

Such behaviour just won’t do any more. It must be held to account, right now, on the issue of amending Act 355 because the implications will be felt throughout Malaysia, not just in Kelantan, where it holds sway and can do whatever it pleases, though even that is questionable in a democracy.

The bill must be studied and questioned, as must all proposed laws that concern every Malaysian. PAS cannot be allowed to act arbitrarily, parading as though it has received a divine mandate and intimidating any party that dares suggest otherwise.

Particularly disconcerting has been the level of recrimination against opponents of the bill, and even the simply curious, with PAS and its supporters apparently attempting to disqualify everyone but itself from the discussion.

Surely that is not the way of an enlightened society, much less one that purports to be built on the practices of the Prophet.

Scott Ng is an FMT columnist.