PAS’ plan to table a private member’s bill on hudud in Parliament is to “test” Muslims MPs.

Party president Abdul Hadi Awang said they wanted to test Muslim MPs on their support for the Islamic criminal law.

He nevertheless admitted that they could not force the non-Muslims on the matter.

“That’s why when the DAP asked me why I did not answer, it is because it has nothing to do with them, this is a Muslim affair,” Abdul Hadi said in his speech at the Federal Territories PAS convention in Taman Melewar today.

“We want to test Muslims so that they understand and support this bill to allow Kelantan to implement hudud.”

Hadi in his speech earlier had said that PAS was implementing hudud based on the ta’awun (helping one another) approach.

“My Arab friends ask me whether PAS is joining Barisan Nasional (BN). I told them no, we had already joined them (back in the 1970s).

“Politics is not repetitive. (Also), we are simply using the ta’awun approach in matters related to welfare and piety. It is a sin if we do not help each other,” he said.

Stressing that PAS members must persevere in the matter as they were facing difficult challenges, Hadi also said that this is especially since there were “outside influences” which do not want Islam to re-emerge.

“They will prevent anything that is Islamic,” he said.

Don't know about Mat Sabu's arrest

Meanwhile, reporters were duped into thinking that Hadi was to have a press conference after his speech.

After waiting for nearly half an hour, media personnel ended up chasing him to his car to pose him questions.

Hadi was dismissive in his answers, when asked on Sabah and Sarawak DAP which had asked for a new coalition to be formed in Sabah, and which had split from Pakatan Rakyat in Sarawak, respectively.

Hadi merely said that he had addressed the issues yesterday. Hadi also replied “he did not know” about the arrest of his deputy, Mohamad Sabu.

Mohamad, better known as Mat Sabu, was nabbed by police believed to be from Bukit Aman’s Pasukan Petugas Khas Jenayah Terancang (STAFOC) at about midnight in Seberang Jaya, Penang.