Parti Amanah Negara chairperson Mohamad Sabu stressed that the party will vote on the hudud based on consensus reached with the new opposition coalition.
This comes after he was yesterday reported by The Malaysian Insider as saying that MPs from Amanah – a PAS splinter party – will not vote to allow the implementation of the hudud.
"Any bill must be discussed in a democratic manner, through consultations and must take into account the country's constitution.
"Consensus is needed among parties in Pakatan Rakyat 2.0 if the issue arises in the future," he said in a statement today.
Mohamad stressed that anything to do with amending the constitution or other very important matters must be discussed first beforehand.
PAS president and Marang MP Abdul Hadi Awang (photo) has in two previous Parliamentary sessions submitted a private member’s bill to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965, to expand the jurisdiction of Syariah Courts to mete out hudud penalties.
PAS argues that this means the Federal Constitution need not be amended, because the constitution states the syariah court can mete out penalties according the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965.
Hadi’s Bill has yet to be debated or put to vote in the House as the speaker prioritised other matters on the Order Paper.
Mohamad, who was former PAS deputy president, was explaining his answer given during a dialogue session at the launch of Parti Amanah Negara in Kuching, Sarawak, yesterday.
He was asked on the party's stance should the hudud bill is tabled in Parliament.
The Malaysian Insider yesterday quoted Mohamad as saying that Parti Amanah Negara MPs were willing to vote against hudud if the matter was put to a vote in Parliament.
"We will consult our coalition partners first. If they say 'no', then we will not support it," he was quoted as saying.
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