Karpal: MCA will be amputated over hudud

DAP chairperson Karpal Singh has warned the MCA that it might face annihilation should it continue to exploit the hudud issue among Malaysians.

At a press conference today, Karpal expressed his dissatisfaction that MCA has persisted in playing up the issue of the Islamic jurisprudence in its media arm, The Star .

He urged MCA to stop its act as it was a waste of time, saying, “In any event, it is not going to work.”

When told that the newspaper would probably not stop in its act to report about the issue, Karpal said, “If they do not, then the people will stop you in the coming general election.”

“Just like how the people almost eliminated the MCA in the last 2008 polls. The people can do it again. At that time, the MCA was on the brink of elimination,” he warned.

Karpal was hitting out at MCA central committee member Loh Seng Kok who said that except for the veteran lawyer, DAP leaders were mere “yes men” for PAS.

Loh ( left ) said that the DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and party adviser Lim Kit Siang may as well step down as they had failed to stop PAS from pursuing its goal of implementing hudud in the country should it come to power.

The Star quoted him today as accusing the DAP of being “afraid to disagree” with PAS, saying the party would not be able to protect non-Muslims from being subjected to hardline doctrines.

Loh said while Guan Eng declared on May 13 this year that all Pakatan parties would abide by their common policy framework, PAS leaders had rebutted his claims, asserting that hudud would be implemented.

DAP not yes men

Meanwhile, Karpal said that labelling other DAP leaders as “yes men to PAS”, accusing them of not speaking up against the matter, is an unfair statement.

“The DAP’s stand has always been against the hudud law and its establishment,” Karpal said.

“Guan Eng ( left ) and Kit Siang have in the past publicly stated their stand on the issue,” he added.

“I have always been speaking against this issue as the chairperson of DAP. It is wrong to say that this is my personal statement,” he stressed.

Ironically, it was MCA's leading BN partner Umno whose Kemelah rep Ayub Rahmat last month proposed that hudud law be implemented in Johor, not just for Muslims but for all races to avoid “discrimination”.

Although MCA chief C hua Soi Lek had only managed to tweet an objection in cyberspace, the suggestion received strong support from Puteri Umno , Kepala Batas Wanita Umno , Deputy Minister Mashitah Ibrahim as well as Umno’s young ulama .

Apart from Chua’s tweet, MCA and other non-Muslim BN partners have however remained conspicuously silent on the matter.

Parliamentary hurdle for PAS

Meanwhile according to a Bernama report, DAP national chairperson Tan Seng Giaw ( below ), who is also Kepong member of parliament, said PAS had a major obstacle as it is not easy to amend the constitution to allow for hudud law, as it required a two-thirds majority in Parliament.    

"To implement hudud, there must be an amendment in Parliament. They know it is impossible to get a two-thirds majority in Parliament," he was reported saying.    

In fact, he said to date, the Syariah Criminal Law Enactment (II) 1993 (Hudud Law) which was passed by the Kelantan State Assembly in 1993 could not be enforced.     

He said this when asked to comment on the statement by Kelantan Menteri Besar Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, who is also PAS' spiritual leader, who reiterated Wednesday the party's stand to uphold its struggle for hudud.      

According to Tan, the hudud issue was a complex one especially in a country which was made up of a plural society and it should not have been raised.    

"Let's not raise matters which can cause disorder especially on those which cannot be implemented," he said.     

Meanwhile, Bernama also reported that PKR ex-deputy president Chandra Muzaffar said the PAS' stand on hudud despite not getting DAP's consent showed both the parties had many differences and were not in concert.    

Chandra, who is also International Movement for a Just World (Just) president, was reported saying the parties only cooperated because they had a common enemy who prevented them from seizing power at the state and federal levels.    

"This shows that their relationship is opportunistic because they want to be in power and for no other reason," he told Bernama .