I refer to the PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang's question and answer session after the launching of PAS' Islamic state memorandum. There were some glaring inconsistencies in his statement which need to be addressed.

The first issue I would like to discuss is with regards to the application of various laws in an Islamic state. In his speech, Hadi mentioned that hudud law will not be applied to non-Muslims under any circumstances, and promised in item four of PAS' 10-point guarantee that Islam will not be imposed on non-Muslims.

Yet, in the question and answer session, when questioned by a reporter what would happen to a non-Muslim who kills a Muslim Hadi said: "Under such a situation, it would be up to the victim of injustice to choose the law. Or the judiciary will have to make a decision on what kind of law will be applied."

My questions are:

  • Isn't this an imposition of Islamic law on non-Muslims?

  • Will non-Muslims be given a choice on whether to decide which penal code will apply should a Muslim man commit a crime on them. If no, why not?

  • PAS has had plenty of time to come out with this memorandum. Why aren't specifics such as the exact constitutional amendments made? Why should the general public give Hadi and his fellow politician's words any more weight than the words of Pak Lah and gang, who have a track record? Better a known devil then an unknown one.

    • The second issue, I would like to tackle is the issue of meritocracy. Again, item six of the 10-point guarantee specifically says that there will be no discrimination based on race and gender. PAS vice- president Dr Hassan Ali confirmed this statement. Yet Hadi specifically mentions in his interview that PAS is not doing away with the term bumiputera. He also says that quotas will continue to be imposed till such a time Malays can stand on their feet. When such a time would come was not mentioned.

    My questions are:

    • Why doesn't PAS discard the racist bumiputra term? Aren't non-Malays who were born and raised in this country technically bumiputera and hence making that term irrelevant? How does the maintenance of the term bumiputera fit within the context of item six in the ten point guarantee?

  • The principals of meritocracy and justice are clear. Why is PAS refusing to dispose of race based quotas altogether and move towards a fair and equitable means tested based affirmative action policy? I sense a indirect whiff of race politics still lurking in the midst of all this 'justice, equality and change' talk.

    • Lastly, I would like to deal with the issue of removal of choice and individual relationships with god. One of the biggest issues many Malaysians have with the Islamic state proposal is the concept of the removal of choice. For example, Hadi mentioned that the PAS government will ban all activities that are not allowed by the religion of non-Muslims. On the surface, this might seem like a good thing.

    However, it infringes the rights of individuals at a rather large level. The relationship with God is a personal one and the state currently has no right to interfere with that. Hence, if my religion

    says I cannot drink alcohol and I indulge in wine, I will have to deal with God when the day comes. The state has no right to interfere in my relationship with God.

    The concept of choice also extends to Muslims. If a non-Muslim can choose which law he will be triad under, will Muslims be given a similar option? The PAS government assumed that all Muslims want to be tried under syariah law. Muslims, just like any other homo sapiens under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights , must be allowed the choice whether they want to be good Muslims or not.

    Mr Hadi should get acquainted with the United Nations covenant on civil and political rights

    which clearly states that all individuals should be equal under the eyes of the law. Imposition of syariah law on Muslims by virtue of them being Muslims does not stand within the spirit of this convenant when non-Muslims have the option of secular laws.

    If anything, the implementation of Islamic law seems set to create a new class divide in this country. A divide not only among Muslims and non-Muslims, but alleged good Muslims and bad Muslims. The holier-than-thou slagging matches have already began and will continue to further divide our society.