Gerakan president Mah Siew Keong has vowed that he will stop the passing of the hudud bill in Parliament, and promised to resign from the cabinet if he failed to do so.

"If hudud is passed by Parliament, I think I would have failed in my duty. Then I will quit my cabinet position," added Mah, who is a minister in the Prime Minister’s Department.

In conjunction with the annual general meeting of Gerakan slated this weekend, Mah said in an interview with the Chinese media recently that Gerakan also opposes PAS joining the BN, unless PAS is willing to drop its hudud agenda.

However, he said, PAS would not let go on hudud, and that only certain quaters think it may do so, according to a Kwong Wah Yit Poh report.

Mah said the hudud issue was overlooked at the moment, but he doesn't rule out the possibility of PAS tabling the bill on the Islamic penal system again in the coming session of Parliament which begins next week.

'Political climate has changed now'

He added that the possibility of the bill passing through the Parliament one year ago was low, but with the political climate having changed in the country now, and the rise of racial sentiments, he is uncertain about the situation today.

"We communicated with BN Muslim MPs in the past and their willingness to support hudud was not strong. The situation has changed now and it may not be easy to persuade them."

Mah said if a bill on hudud was submitted to Parliament for voting, Muslim MPs would be pressured to support the bill. There are currently 136 Muslim MPs in the Parliament, which is than a simple majority.

He cited the example in Kelantan, when the hudud bill was raised in that state assembly. A PKR assemblyperson initially said he would oppose the bill, but in the end he did not object to it.

Although Gerakan has filed a challenge to hudud in court, Mah is of the opinion that it would be a a tough battle.

He said other parties were afraid to challenge the matter legally because they do not want to upset the voters.