Lawyers for Liberty is shocked at the Kelantan PAS government’s extreme haste in holding a special state assembly sitting on Dec 29, 2014 to table an amendment on the Syariah Criminal Laws Act II 1993 (Amendment 2014) despite the controversy and strong objections.

What is even more outrageous and unbecoming is that the draft hudud amendments and implementation plan are still shrouded in secrecy despite the obvious seriousness and far reaching implications they would have on Malaysia.

Such secrecy, lack of accountability and consultations with the public, civil society and even PAS’s own central leadership and political coalition is bad governance and in breach of democratic norms.

Without a clear idea as to what are the latest hudud amendments and implement plan, we are left in serious doubt and grappling in the dark, surely an underhanded tactic more befitting Umno than PAS.

Instead of being fully transparent with the hudud amendments and implementation plan like a modern-day government, the Kelantan PAS government has resorted to explaining with Quranic verses and anecdotes, flowery words and idioms, and essentially asking the public to have blind faith in the judges’ discretion and sense of justice, and trust in God that somehow their plan would work and there will be no injustice or cruelty.

Needless to say, such simplism and naiveté are misplaced and unacceptable in this day and age, all the more so for such a serious matter as hudud.

We therefore curge the Kelantan PAS government to reveal in full the draft amendments and implementation plan, to consult all relevant stakeholders and defer the special state assembly sitting on hudud until they have done so.

ERIC PAULSEN is executive director, Lawyers for Liberty.