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Wan Azizah too nice a person to survive hudud politics

YOURSAY | ‘Many forget this is a diverse nation with Sarawak and Sabah playing a significant part.’

Analysts: Much wanting in Wan Azizah's hudud position

Abasir: I watched the UpFront interview by Al Jazeera's Mehdi Hassan and was horrified by the slithering and sliding which PKR president Wan Azizah Wan Ismail demonstrated as the interviewer repeatedly pressed her for her position on hudud.

Mehdi Hassan, who was himself visibly disturbed as he mentioned stonings and amputations, was in utter disbelief when Mrs Keadilan calmly said that "it is god's law" and added that such punishments are not in store "in the near future".

That was an epiphanic moment when I had a glimpse of the medieval brutality lurking in PKR. If Malaysians still continue to believe that PKR is an alternative to both PAS and Umno, they fully deserve the future in store for them.

Pokokgetah: For an important interview like this, Wan Azizah ought to have been prepared with practice sessions of mock interviews, where all questions likely to crop up are thrown at her. This does not seem to have been done.

Clever Voter: A majority of politicians including those from opposition do not have the courage to stand up and be counted.

Playing footsy with this whole concept of hudud is counter-productive. Even the leader of Pakatan Harapan, Wan Azizah, has difficulty in making a stand.

She needs to step aside in this business where she doesn't belong. The trouble is everyone is too polite to tell her.

Fearful of losing popular votes, many have fumbled due to their lack of knowledge and their conviction is at best half-hearted. Many forget this is a diverse nation with Sarawak and Sabah playing a significant part.

Why is there a need to be embroiled in the politics of hudud when we have one hundred and one matters to deal with?

An ordinary citizen doesn't rely on hudud to make his or her living. Politicians from both sides are too lazy to think. They need to step up the game. The fact is, citizens are fed-up.

Sarawakian: Only former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad can handle the hudud issue. It's a matter of time before he comes out swinging to tell the Malays what should have been told long ago.

That Islam has been taken for a ride by false prophets and kleptocrats, and the Malays have a choice of whether they want a modern, progressive state for their children or sink into the abyss of a theocratic kleptocracy.

This is the key issue of GE14, and I don't expect Mahathir to pussyfoot around it like the rest of Pakatan.

Determined Sarawakian: PKR is undoubtedly confused, and I am not sure what Wan Azizah wants now but to recall a "reformed" hudud position? I seriously would not be able to think any clerics are agreeable to such a position.

Wan Azizah's position meant a great pace in reforming attributes and attitudes in the Muslim Malaysian society.

The other thing is if the severe capital punishments are removed, what about corporal punishments, that being 100 strokes of the cane? What crimes are deemed punishable? What about adulterers and rapists? What's the position on non-Muslims?

Patronising a legal premise may spell disaster as many communities have reeled into extremism; Aceh, Brunei, Iran, and even secular Turkey have gone the other way. We have seen what happened to Jakarta governor Ahok (Basuki Tjahaja Purnama) when the Indonesians gave in to the demands of these hardcore Islamists.

Instead of moving into moderation and garnering votes, we would be lurching into extreme forms of religion.

As for Dr M, no doubt he is against hudud legislations but he also cordially invited Islamisation into Malaysia to win votes in the heartland.

However, those days, Dr M's problem was not about condescending to the demands in the heartland but stealthily removing resources from the heartland to fund his many pet projects.

Heartland folks are no longer stupid and they want to take back what's theirs, at least the pride now of having projects back in their land like the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) that is perhaps a partial "redeemable pride".

Just tell me why these heartland folks have to all congregate in the Klang Valley? Because at one time, Dr M wanted these folks to ply their trade here.

Worldly Wise: The best answer Wan Azizah should have given is that Pakatan will concentrate on ideals of high moral fibre exhorted in the Holy Quran.

Believing that free education in schools, being started in 1951, would have reduced religious adherence to literal ritualism in Islam was wishful thinking.

Compulsory teaching of religion for Muslims has created people who do not think for themselves. They simply follow. Islamic scholars are among whom you would be hard pressed to find support for critical thinking when it concerns the holy scripture.

Iwfdrtkslvjh: Sorry, but the woman is honest and therefore not a politician. I'm afraid she can't be made to say what the non-Muslims want to hear, or for that matter, to parrot a script prepared by DAP.

Alfanso: The newsman ought to have asked Wan Azizah, “Why are you in politics?” Then we could have had an answer.

But asking about religious issues, I bet there is only one answer - that it is god's law, here or anywhere in the world, despite the negativity we see in areas where they have it as law.

Well, we have our constitution - the supreme law of the land, and why is there no respect for it by the hudud lovers?

Hang Babeuf: Wan Azizah is a nice lady, a brave woman, a loyal wife. But politically she is floundering. And dragging the cause down with her poor judgement.

Anonymous 637541435986091: Mrs Keadilan is a devout Muslim and to directly say no to hudud was difficult.

I agree she is not the leader you want, but we must give her credit for standing up against the establishment all these years.


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