Sabah BN's silence on Hudud Bill queried

Kota Kinabalu: Sabah Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) has questioned the State Barisan Nasional (BN) leadership's silence over PAS President Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang's Private Member's Bill to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965, also known as Act 355.Its Chief Christina Liew said the State BN government has yet to officially declare its stand on the controversial Bill which will impact the lives of Malaysians if the Bill is passed.

"Why is the State BN Chairman keeping mum? The people of Sabah have a right to know the Government's stance on the proposed amendment to the Syariah law.

"As it is, the Sarawak State Government has already made its standpoint known.

Even before then Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem passed away in January this year, he had instructed the 25 BN MPs in the State to reject the Bill," she said in a statement, here.

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Adenan's successor, Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Abang Openg, has reaffirmed the State Government's stand against hudud. He had said he would repeat Adenan's directive to the BN MPs to reject Hadi's Bill.

Last month, he reiterated that there will be no hudud law in Sarawak after chairing a State Cabinet meeting.

Liew, who is Api Api Assemblywoman, noted that Parti Warisan Sabah President Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal had also said he would not support Hadi's Bill during the debate on the Royal Address in Parliament.

"All the 23 BN MPs in Sabah should unequivocally say 'No' to the Bill," she said.

A revised version of the controversial Bill with increased penalties for Muslim offenders is due to be presented to Parliament soon.

The amendments to Act 355 will allow the Islamic courts (which rule on religious matters and family law for Muslims) to impose a jail sentence of as long as 30 years, as many as 100 strokes of the cane and a fine of more than RM22,000.

Currently, the maximum punishments are a three-year jail term, six strokes of the cane and a fine of more than RM1,100.

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United Malay National Organisation (Umno) is giving tacit support to the PAS Bill. Last December, Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry, Datuk Ahmad Maslan had said all BN MPs have to support the Bill, and that all BN component parties were expected to toe the line as the Federal Government had taken over the Bill.

And last month, Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom, the Government Minister responsible for Islamic affairs, spoke at the PAS rally in Kuala Lumpur calling for stricter Islamic law.

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