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No to hudud, but yes to law to stop unilateral conversion

MP SPEAKS PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan, who is also the MP for Kota Baru, issued a press statement at the PAS headquarters in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

He ‘threatened’ non-Muslim MPs against interfering with PAS president and Marang MP Abdul Hadi Awang’s motion to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 (Act 355).

Takiyuddin said that in retaliation, Muslim MPs would then object to the amendments to the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976.

Firstly, I am astounded by the fact that till to date Takiyuddin has not come to sense that Parliament is not the place for his archaic barter system to take place.

Every MP elected should represent and serve all constituents, regardless of race, religion, gender, etc.

Padang Rengas MP and Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz, a fellow Muslim MP, has stated that the reason Kelantan needs stricter syariah laws is because the state has failed to eradicate the necessary crimes all this while and thus required these amendments. Does Takiyuddin (photo) agree to this?

The amendments to the Law Reform (Marriage & Divorce) Act 1976 are actually well received by other Muslim MPs as well.

They believe that this will guarantee converts genuinely embrace Islam, rather than use Islam as a platform just to evade their responsibilities.

By making the threat, Takiyuddin has inadvertently stated that he would rather vote against having genuine Muslim converts as long as stiffer syariah punishment is enacted.

The government first agreed on talks with regard to unilateral conversion in the year 2005.

Three cabinet committees were formed, all because of our tireless push from day one.

When I raised this issue in Parliament in 2009, there was no support at all from the BN component parties, which till today still dilly-dally on their position, rather than giving a firm and final ultimatum.

There have been many cases which are reported in Law Journals, one of it being M Indira Gandhi’s battle to ensure she gets custody of her baby who was taken away by her husband seven years ago.

Is this PAS’s last straw in Malaysian politics?

PAS has probably realised that without the collaboration with Pakatan Harapan, PAS has to work with Umno to ensure its political survival.

A Private Member’s Bill rarely sees the light of day. What has been promised to, and by, Hadi Awang for this bill to even be tabled? And since when has Takiyuddin been appointed as spokesperson for all the Muslim MPs?

It appears to be a desperate case of ‘syiok sendiri’.

We will not compromise as our stand on the matter is very clear. We will not be cowed by Takiyuddin’s theatrics. Our duty and responsibility is to the Malaysian society at large.


M KULASEGARAN is DAP’s Ipoh Barat MP and lawyer to M Indira Gandhi.

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