Umno vice-president and Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today questioned PAS’ sincerity in pushing for the implementation of hudud after reports that PAS’ move was part of its “political strategy”.

Ahmad Zahid was referring to DAP’s Seputeh MP Teresa Kok’s statement to Malaysiakini that PAS has taken the initiative to push for hudud in order to regalvanise its Malay support base.

“Her statement shows that PAS took up Umno’s challenge (to push for hudud) in order to ensure their own survival,” he said in a statement today.

“If this is true, Malays have been deceived by PAS through a political tactic to pull Malay support in their direction again,” he added.

After a meeting between PAS reps with DAP and PKR MPs earlier this week, DAP’s Kok told Malaysiakini that PAS leaders had explained that the party faced a tough time trying to win back Malay support as Umno had misled rural voters by telling them that PAS was controlled by DAP.

Zahid however said Kok may have also been trying to find ways and means to help PAS look good, even as DAP and PKR publicly opposed hudud. This ends up looking inconsistent, he added.

“PKR and DAP stand against hudud even though there are Islamic leaders in PKR,” he said.

Zahid then reiterated Umno’s own stand on hudud, which more or less spells out an open position.

“Umno has never rejected hudud laws, in fact Umno, (with the rest of Malaysia’s Muslims), considers its implementation something that cannot be questioned...

“As long as it adheres to Islamic rules as laid down by the al-Quran and Hadith, Ijma Ulama and Qiyas,” Zahid said in the press statement.