BA women say partners not divided over PAS hudud law

comments     Susan Loone     Published     Updated

Barisan Alternatif (BA) Wanita leaders today denied that the Opposition Front was divided because of the different views expressed over PAS' controversial hudud bill.

PRM Youth committee member Latheefa Koya who recently issued a scathing statement claiming that PAS' intentions to table the bill at the Terengganu state assembly was a "political ploy to out-Islamise Umno" defended her views and said it was not against Keadilan's stand on the issue.

"Like Keadilan, we believe it is PAS' right to implement any law but we question the methods used, the eagerness to implement the law and the way it was done — without consulting others," she told malaysiakini .

Latheefa, who represents the party at BA Wanita meetings, said her criticisms were on the entire syariah law, not only those concerning women's issues alone.

"Hudud is merely part of the whole syariah system. Issues like poverty, banking and family laws need to be discussed as they are directly related to crime. Hudud alone will not solve all our problems," she said.

"We also question whether we are prepared for the huge task ahead. Do we have enough syariah practitioners or experts in criminal law? If we don't, we can cause a lot of injustice to Islam itself," she added.

Questions process and timing

When contacted, Keadilan Wanita chief Fuziah Salleh concurred with Latheefa that the parties are not in a flap over the hudud bill espoused by their ally in the Opposition Front.

Fuziah said like PRM, Keadilan did not challenge the essence of the bill but questioned its process, timing and implementation.

"But we believe in being pro-active, not merely issuing comments and then do nothing about it," she told malaysiakini .

"That is why since last month we have carried out several activities to deal with this issue, like holding talks with PAS women's wing and submitting a memorandum to Terengganu Menteri Besar Abdul Hadi Awang. We want to provide better understanding of the issue," she said.

Both women were commenting on Keadilan vice president Sheik Azmi Ahmad's statement yesterday which fully supported the bill and commended Abdul Hadi for considering amendments put forward by various quarters.

Azmi's comments appeared in contrast to PRM's strong worded criticism of the bill.

Keadilan women's wing has been on a campaign with other women's groups and political parties to try and halt the inevitable tabling of the Terengganu Syariah Criminal Enactment which they claimed to be biased against women.

Amendments proposed

Last month, Keadilan and PAS organised a seminar in Terengganu to propose amendments to several sections of the enactment which discriminate against rape victims and disqualify evidence given by women in cases of rape and adultery.

As a result of the seminar, the women's wings of the two parties submitted a memorandum to Abdul Hadi early this month. Abdul Hadi has promised to consider the proposed amendments before tabling the bill.

Also joining the fray was Women and Family Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil who rallied women's groups from both sides of the political divide to unite and reject the bill.

In response to the overwhelming protests, Terengganu had delayed the tabling of the bill and state officials, including Abdul Hadi, will meet their opponents this Saturday to try and resolve the matter which appears to be causing a rift among the opposition.

Meanwhile, Keadilan said it would hold a "People's Dialogue" later this month to discuss the syariah law, its concept and implementation.

Procedures on evidence gathering, a very significant part of the hudud bill, which has so far escaped media attention, will also be discussed thoroughly, said Fuziah.

Dialogue session

She added that several top leaders from major Muslim-based political parties like PAS deputy president Abdul Hadi, Keadilan vice-president Sheik Azmi Ahmad and a ulama (religious scholar) from Umno will be invited to speak at the dialogue session.

PAS legal advisor Wan Muttalib Embong, who is responsible for drafting the bill, will also be present to clarify matters.

"Through this, we hope to give the public a chance to understand the law better," she said.

When asked why DAP and PRM leaders had been excluded from the panel discussions, Fuziah said the two parties will be invited as participants.

The bill has come under strong criticism, especially the sections related to rape and adultery.

In hudud, the burden of proof is shifted from the perpetrator to the victim who must be able to produce four credible witnesses to prove her innocence.

If she is unable to do so, she may be found guilty of "slanderous accusations" and punished with 80 lashes of the rotan.

The bill also excludes women as witnesses, reinforcing the view that the law is not compatible with modern society nor is it 'friendly or just' to women.



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