Sarawak PKR today called for a “united non-partisan Sarawak front” to oppose the implementation of hudud law in Malaysia.

Calling on all Sarawakians and politicians from across the political divide, state PKR chief Baru Bian urged them to safeguard the federal constitution as well as ensure Sarawak remains a secular state.

“Hudud has no place in Malaysia, most especially in Sarawak.

“We would like to reassure all Sarawakians, that in matters affecting Sarawak and our people, we are ‘Sarawakians First’,” he said at a press conference this morning.

PKR is the latest party in the state to strongly oppose hudud law.

Others which had made their opposition to the Islamic penal code public include DAP and United People’s Party (UPP), as well as BN component parties like Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP).

So far, Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), the backbone of the state government, has yet to take an official stand.

However, Chief Minister Adenan Satem who is also the PBB president had declared that as long as he is the chief minister, “hudud will not be implemented in Sarawak”.

Christians form about 60 percent of Sarawak’s 2.6 million people.

'It’s the state leadership decision’

Baru said that a special meeting of the PKR state leadership council was called last night to discuss the attempt by PAS to push for hudud implementation.

He said PKR Sarawak decided unanimously to reiterate its stand against the attempt by PAS to amend the Federal Constitution to enable hudud to be enforced.

He added that acknowledging the alarm with which Sarawakians view hudud, PKR Sarawak had resolved to write to the chief minister to propose the tabling of a joint motion in the coming state assembly sitting to declare that hudud would not be implemented in Sarawak.

 

The Ba’Kelalan assemblyperson said in the event Adenan ( left ) did not pick up the suggestion, its representatives would tabled the motion for deliberation and adoption by the state legislative body.

While it recognise that hudud is part and parcel of syariah and is found in the Quran, Baru said PKR Sarawak is resolute that the federal constitution - and not syariah - is “the supreme law of the federation”.

He added that the Rukunegara, which lays the foundation for a just and democratic society, talks about upholding the constitution and the rule of law.

‘No state religion for Sarawak’

Baru reminded Sarawakians that during the talks leading to the formation of Malaysia, the non-Muslim communities of Sarawak had voiced their reservations about Islam being the religion of the federation.

He pointed out that the first of the 18-Point Agreement with Sarawak addressed this concern.

It said “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 key to Sarawak’s agreement to join in the formation Malaysia in 1963.

“In this regard, point 16 of the 18/20-Point Agreement should be highlighted - that no amendment, modification or withdrawal of any special safeguard granted to Borneo (Sabah and Sarawak) should be made by the central government without the positive concurrence of the government of the state of North Borneo/Sarawak.

“Therefore, the power to amend the Sarawak constitution or the federal constitution - insofar as the changes affecting the rights of Sarawak - belongs exclusively to the people of Sarawak,” he argued.

This protection is reinforced in Article 161E of the federal constitution, which safeguards the position of Sabah and Sarawak.

It said no constitutional amendment can be made without the concurrence of the governor, if it was to affect the constitution and jurisdiction of the High Court in Sabah and Sarawak, and the religion in the state, he said.

“These safeguards were promulgated to ensure that our rights cannot be taken from us without our consent.

“With such hurdles to clear, it is obvious that the framers of the Sarawak and federal constitutions had every intention of preserving Sarawak’s autonomy and our freedom of religion,” Baru said.