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Hadi's spin on Pakatan's position disingenuous

MP SPEAKS Yesterday, Bernama reported that PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang maintained that the issue of betrayal doesn’t arise because DAP’s Lim Kit Siang had signed a statement together with fellow Pakatan Rakyat leaders in September 2011 to “agree to disagree” on the implementation of hudud.

 

Abdul Hadi Awang then went on to argue, fallaciously, that the joint statement “accepted that the Kelantan state government had the right to implement hudud” and they merely gave DAP room to disagree.

 

Unfortunately, the above arguments highlight the fact that Hadi Awang is maliciously twisting words to justify PAS Kelantan’s betrayal of the 7-year old coalition.

 

The very admission that DAP disagreed to the implementation of hudud means clearly it isn’t Pakatan Rakyat policy. Such an understanding has been voiced repeatedly by various leaders not only from DAP, but also PKR and PAS.

 

PAS secretary-general Mustafa Ali for example, told the media and electorate in the Tenang by-elections in January 2011 that hudud is not in Pakatan Rakyat’s common policy framework.

 

What was agreed in the joint statement in 2011 is the acknowledgement that the Kelantan Islamic punishment enactment was passed in 1993 well before the formation of Pakatan Rakyat. Hadi Awang is obviously disingenuous by claiming that such an acknowledgement is and endorsement for the Kelantan policy.

 

When coalition partners agree to disagree, it means that it is not the coalition policy. And any attempt to implement any policy vigorously opposed within the coalition is therefore a contemptuous violation and betrayal of the coalition.

Voters betrayed

 

In fact, PAS Kelantan has betrayed not only Pakatan Rakyat but also all Malaysians who have voted for them in the last general elections. PAS leaders had repeated assured the country that while hudud remains the party’s political objective, it was not a priority for implementation.

 

In 2011, Mustapa Ali ( right ) had assured Malaysians that “even if PAS had absolute power with two-thirds majority in Parliament, the first thing that PAS will do is not hudud”.

 

What is laughable is the attempt to paint the DAP and Lim Kit Siang as having also “betrayed” Pakatan Rakyat with the attempt to implement local government elections. Hadi Awang should read the common policy framework document, which clearly states that Pakatan Rakyat will “strengthen local government democracy”.

 

In fact, PAS’ illogical and feeble protests against local government elections should be interpreted as another affront to the coalition consensus.

 

It is ironical that Hadi Awang who paints himself as a pious religious leader should indulge in such blatant dishonesty and deceit. His treacherous behaviour can only lead to the conclusion that as long as he remains the president of PAS, the party cannot be trusted by both Pakatan Rakyat and Malaysians.

 


TONY PUA is DAP national publicity secretary and Petaling Jaya Utara MP.

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