A PAS lawmaker today broke ranks with his party and called on the Kelantan government to put the implementation of hudud on hold and focus instead on flood relief work in the state.

Sepang MP Hanipa Maidin said pushing the hudud bill into the backburner for a while would not become an issue.

"The state government should take into account the issue of floods. Priority should be given to deal with the floods," Hanipa told reporters in the Parliament lobby today.

"This does not mean we do give importance to hudud, but we are putting the people's interest, for the flood situation has not recovered yet," he said.

Hanipa ( right ) said that the people needed aid, and when hudud is pushed for, it gives the perception that the state does not prioritise other important aspects.

He said this in responding to a poll by independent pollster Merdeka Center, which showed that the people of Kelantan prefer the state to focus on floods, rather than on hudud.

DAP national organising secretary Anthony Loke has also called on the Kelantan government to "listen to the people's voices".

Hanipa also called on Pakatan members not to make comments about the opposition coalition breaking up on the hudud issue.

He said this in response to PAS vice-president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, who today issued a warning that Pakatan would break up if the coalition refuses to accept the Kelantan government's amendments to the Syariah Criminal Code in order to introduce hudud in the state.