PAS has flayed DAP for using hudud as an excuse to oust the party from Pakatan Rakyat by inciting hatred towards the Islamist party.

“DAP is fooling Malaysians into rejecting PAS and ousting it from Pakatan by using hudud,” PAS central committee member Nik Abduh Nik Aziz told reporters at Parliament today.

He also called on DAP to be more open when taking on PAS, instead of undertaking ‘cryptic attacks’ directed at party president Abdul Hadi Awang ( left ).

“It is no more than innuendos aimed at breaking ties with PAS. It shouldn’t be that way as they only focus on Hadi, who is the party’s representative in Pakatan.

“DAP should be more clear and state that they want PAS to leave Pakatan [...] don’t be ambiguous about it,” said Nik Abduh, who is Pasir Mas MP.

He reiterated PAS’ stand that the party would not leave Pakatan and sees no reason to do so.

“We have a made a statement already. We will not leave Pakatan because we love Malaysia. We want to make Malaysia a new country with better politics and a stronger democracy.

“That is what PAS is in Pakatan for,” said Nik Abduh, who is a son of Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, the late PAS spiritual leader.

Commenting on the statement by senior Umno leader Nazri Abdul Aziz yesterday that hudud can never be implemented in the country as it goes against the federal constitution, Nik Abduh said Nazri was known for such talk.

Even dreaming won't be allowed

“That is Nazri. That is how he has been talking for years. He has never changed,” he said, adding that he would leave it to the more senior PAS MPs to refute the minister’s statement.

Nik Abduh added hudud in Kelantan will apply to all Muslims, including the royalty.

Asked for his opinion, PAS information chief Mahfuz Omar ( right ) rapped Nazri for his comments, saying, Umno would not allow freedom of speech on the hudud issue.

“This is how Umno works [...] it will not even allow us to discuss hudud. If you let them be, they will not even allow us to dream about what we want,” he said.

PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub also weighed in, saying that while he acknowledged the party's dilemma, DAP's decision to sever ties with Hadi was not a good move.

"While I understand DAP's difficulties with the implementation of the syariah criminal enactment in Kelantan and particularly the controversy sparked by Hadi's move to table a Private Member's Bill in Parliament, severing ties with the PAS president is not the way, nor the best solution to resolve this matter.

"Hadi is my president as well as the president of a million PAS members. It is complicated and difficult for me to accept DAP's decision to sever ties with Hadi while still wanting PAS to remain in Pakatan," Salahuddin (left) said in a statement today.

He urged Pakatan partners to hold a special leadership council meeting to iron out the matter.

Deputy president Mohamad Sabu, who was earlier accused of trying to topple Hadi, said any move by DAP to cut ties with Hadi will adversely impact PAS.

He urged all Pakatan leaders to meet urgently to "find a common ground".

"We have to find a solution between all three parties with the aim of strengthening Pakatan Rakyat.

"I am confident that we can find a solution if there is a will no matter how strained our relationship is," Mohamad said in a statement.

Amend federal constitution

Relations between DAP and PAS have become increasingly frayed following PAS-ruled Kelantan’s decision to table amendments to the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code Enactment 1993 to pave the way for the eventual implementation of hudud in Kelantan.

The amendments were tabled at the Kelantan state assembly on March 19 and unanimously passed by the 44 assemblypersons present, including the 12 from Umno.

PAS will now seek to amend the Federal Constitution in Parliament in order to finally be able to put hudud into practice in Kelantan.

DAP - as well as BN component parties MCA and Gerakan - have said they will stringently oppose any move by PAS to implement hudud, either locally or nationally.

DAP has also said that PAS risked cooperation within Pakatan if it continued to pursue the implementation of hudud.