DAP believes PAS has given up on non-Malay votes for the upcoming twin by-elections due to its decision to re-table a Private Member’s Bill on Hudud in Parliament today.

“They feel that they can win the by-elections with only Malay votes," said party organising secretary Anthony Loke when met at the Parliament lobby this afternoon.

The Seremban MP was asked if the move by PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang to re-table the Bill would have an adverse impact on the Islamic party’s chances in the Sungai Besar and Kuala Selangor polls slated for June 18.

Loke said it is unlikely that the Bill would be debated in the Dewan Rakyat today as it was listed as the last item in the House's Order Paper.

Today is also the last day for this session and the Lower House would only reconvene in October.

"If it makes it to the House (for debate today), then the government must have supported it," said Loke when quizzed on speculation that debate on the Bill would take place at 2.30pm.

Loke also dismissed the Bill as a political gimmick for Hadi to show his supporters that PAS is adamant on implementing hudud.

"This is for the party's survival in conjunction with the party’s muktamar (annual general assembly)," he said.

PAS was seen as a weak party after a faction, comprising mostly professionals, led by former deputy president Mohamad Sabu, left the party, bringing along six MPs and two state assemblypersons.

PAS lost both Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar to BN in the 2013 general election by 399 and 1,082 majority-votes respectively.

The Private Member's Bill brought by Hadi is colloquially referred to as the Hudud Bill but it is specifically to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 or Act 355.

At present, Act 355 limits the Syariah Court's punishment to a maximum fine of RM5,000, three years jail or six strokes of the whip.

The amendments, among others, seek to increase this limit to pave the way for the partial implementation of hudud, like for example, increasing the strokes of the whip of between 40 and 100.