Sarawak’s Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Office (Islamic Affairs) Daud Abdul Rahman has assured that hudud will not be implemented in Sarawak.

 

His assurance comes after he was severely criticised by opposition leaders for saying that the state would comply with the decision of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

 

“There  will be not enough support in the 71-seat State Legislative Assembly for it to be passed,” he said to reporters after officiating a function at SMK Tunku Abdul Rahman yesterday.

 

“How can we implement it when laws must be passed by the State Legislative Assembly with a two-thirds majority, while Muslim representatives comprise only 25 percent?,” said Daud (right),

He blamed Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian and Sarawak DAP chairperson Chong Chieng Jen for twisting his recent statement.

 

Several quarters especially in social media had also slammed the assistant minister for his statement, knowing well that the issue of hudud is very sensitive in Sarawak where Christians form about 80 percent of the state’s 2.6 million people.

 

Daud should not raise the issue in the first place as talking about it created unnecessary fear among the people, they said.

 

Baru had accused Daud of showing lack of understanding on the rights of Sarawak, which are protected under the Malaysia Agreement.

 

“For Sarawak, the stand is very clear. That the first of the 18 points of agreement relates to religion points to the paramount concern our forefathers had about protecting this most precious freedom for Sarawakians,” he said.

 

Baru also reminded Daud of the Cobbold Report which said “while there was no objection to Islam being the national religion of Malaysia there should be no state religion in Sarawak, and the provisions relating to Islam in the present Constitution of Malaya should not apply to Sarawak”.

 

“The absence of a state religion was one of the pivotal factors in Sarawak agreeing to join in the formation Malaysia in 1963. 

"Let there be no doubt then that in accordance with the vision of our forefathers, Sarawak is, and should remain, a secular state,” added Baru.

 

Government Motion Bill

Meanwhile, Sarawak DAP Socialist Youth Chairperson Wong King Wei believed that PAS could not and would not be able to pass the Private Members Bill single-handedly unless what it proposes is turned into a Government Motion Bill.

 

“DAP is not worried about hudud if it is  proposed through the Private Members Bill as such a Bill will not materialise it. But if it comes to a Government Motion Bill, it will always be given priority.

 

“Hence it is very worrying to see that the Kelantan state government and federal government leaders walking hand- in-hand,” said Wong ( right ), who is the Padungan Assemblyperson.

 

Wong, who is also a lawyer, expressed his fears after the Kelantan State government and the federal government leaders had resolved to form a technical committee to look into the viability of implementing hudud.

 

He warned that the implementation of hudud would hurt the country as it is a multi-racial, multi-religious and multi-cultural nation.

 

Wong had asked PAS to leave Pakatan if it insisted on the implementation of hudud.