Once again, history repeats itself and the issue of hudud law emerges again as the ‘deal breaker’ for the Pakatan Rakyat members. The issue of hudud law sank the DAP in 1999 when their traditional Chinese voters deserted them due to their cooperation with PAS.

In 2004, there was no official alliance between the opposition parties although there was a pledge to ensure a straight fight between the BN and the opposition and the DAP managed to regain some of the support of its traditional Chinese voters.

In 2008, due to unhappiness of the rakyat with the BN government, a paradigm shift happened in Malaysia. The traditional Chinese supporters of DAP could accept the alliance between DAP and PAS and PKR and the traditional Malay Muslim supporters of PAS also gave their acceptance to this new alliance and the rest is history. The BN government almost became the opposition.

Although the Chinese and even Malay/Muslims voters accepted the cooperation between PAS and DAP and PKR, it was premised on the fundamental beliefs that:

(i) PR will uphold the rights of all Malaysians regardless of race or religion as enshrined in the federal constitution, ie, the special position of the Malays/Bumiputeras and that Islam as the official religion of Malaysia will be upheld and the rights of non-Malays/bumiputeras will also be protected; and

(ii) PR will implement economic policies that will help all Malaysians regardless of race or religion, ie, the NEP will be implemented in its true spirit, to help poor Malaysian regardless of ethnic origin.

The PR campaigns during the 12 GE never mentioned that the status quo of the laws of Malaysia will be changed, ie hudud law would be implemented. If PR manages to form the next federal government, they must remember that the rakyat can easily remove them in the next GE.

The rakyat voted for the PR based on their election manifesto. PR must remember that the rakyat gave a convincing victory for the BN in 2004 but deserted the BN in 2008 because the BN failed to deliver.

PR must proof that it is a viable alternative to the BN and work towards nation-building. What do the leaders of the PR want Malaysia to be in 5, 15, 25 or even 50 years from today? Do they want Malaysia to be a vibrant economy whereby all the various races can compete as equals and serve as a model for the Muslim world?

Or do they want Malaysia to be the next Afghanistan where women are forced to wear the purdah in public and football stadiums were turned into public execution galleries?

PAS knows that it is virtually impossible to insist on implementing hudud law as this will require changing the federal constitution. The talk on implementing hudud law is probably just the first salvo for the upcoming by-election.

Even if PR manages to form the next federal government, it is highly unlikely that PAS can get a two-thirds majority without support from its own coalition partner DAP and non -uslim MPs from PKR. MPs from MCA, MIC and Gerakan are also bound to oppose such a motion.

However, it is talk like this that makes the rakyat rethink whether they made the right choice in voting for PR.

If PAS continues to make such rhetorical speeches on implementing hudud law, the PR will be dealt a crushing defeat in the next GE.