PIVOTAL ROLE

(Sin Chew Daily) – Once the bill is adopted by the Parliament, Muslims in Malaysia will be divided into two different camps, whereby those in Peninsular Malaysia will be subjected to the RUU355 amendment bill while those in East Malaysia will not be affected, which is obviously illogical and contrary to the principle of fairness.

The government’s takeover of the RUU355 amendment bill is much watched over by the whole nation. To tame the frustration of East Malaysians and the non-Muslim community in the country, it is learned that the government’s version of amendment bill will only be applicable to West Malaysian Muslims.

The bill to amend RUU355 was originally tabled by PAS president cum Marang MP Hadi Awang, but was later taken over by the government. Hadi’s private bill was meant to pave the way for the eventual implementation of hudud in the future, posing a severe threat to our vulnerable secular system and was thus strongly opposed to by the non-Muslim community in the country as well as East Malaysians in general.

We need to illustrate the point that not all Muslims in this country are agreeable to Hadi Awang’s motion although most of the dissident voices have come from non-Muslims and East Malaysians.

The adoption of the RUU355 amendment bill in Dewan Rakyat will require more than just the support of Umno and PAS lawmakers. East Malaysian MPs play a very pivotal role in the success or failure of this bill.

Excluding East Malaysians from the bill would somewhat allay their fears and remove any excuses to oppose to the bill, and is perceived as one of the strategies to win East Malaysian MPs’ support.

The problem now is: Such a divisive measure could further alienate the East Malaysians and polarize the people.

It cannot be denied that the exclusionary policy is one of the most effective strategies to remove the obstacles to the adoption of RUU355 amendment bill. But from the long-term and macroscopic perspectives, the move has unreservedly exposed the shortsightedness as well as recklessness on the part of our policymakers.

Once the bill is adopted by the Parliament, Muslims in Malaysia will be divided into two different camps, whereby those in Peninsular Malaysia will be subjected to the RUU355 amendment bill while those in East Malaysia will not be affected, which is obviously illogical and contrary to the principle of fairness. The rift between people on both sides of South China Sea will be further accentuated as a result of “one county, two systems”.

The argument of RUU355 amendment lies with its religionization advocacy and detrimental effects on our existing secular system. It is imperative that East Malaysian MPs scrutinize the bill on the national level instead of looking only at its implications on the people in the two states of East Malaysia. They must come to the realization that once the floodgates are opened, anything could happen.

RUU355 will have tremendous impact on the future of this country. The attitude of East Malaysian MPs — whether they just sit on the fence and watch or register their strong and unbending opposition for the sake of this country — will be instrumental in the development of this whole thing.