BN’s ‘extensive discussions’ won’t change minds

Except for Umno and PBRS, all Sabah BN component parties, including PBS, have rejected hudud..

KOTA KINABALU: The United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) will not support any federal or state level move to initiate hudud laws here.

Its information chief Albert Bingkasan said although Upko welcomed the move by Umno-led Sabah Barisan Nasional to have “extensive discussions” about the issue, Upko’s stands firmly with the federal constitution.

“This is a delicate matter and requires a clear and indepth understanding of the issue. But the federal constitution is clear on the issue,” he said.

He added that Malaysia was a secular state and implementing of hudud laws would be against the very foundation and intention of the Federal Constitution and the Malaysia Agreement 1963.

Bingakasan was responding to Sabah BN secretary Abdul Rahman Dahlan statement last Sunday that the ruling coalition would state their stand on the hudud law bills “only after a thorough study.”

Thus far except for Umno and PBRS, all Sabah BN component parties, including PBS, have rejected hudud.

Bingkasa said Upko would organize a “Say No To Hudud” road show in the immediate future in all its 27 divisions to explain to its members PAS’s plan to table two Private Members Bill on hudud in parliament.

“We are convinced the road show will enable us to have a clear understanding of the issue. We will also be talking about the federal constitution. We hope this will propel us further in our maturing process in nation building,” said Bingkasan yesterday.

He said the road show to be handled by Upko Documentation and Information Bureau (UDIB), which he heads.

Hudud has been on the table for sometime and Upko has been consistent with its stand on this and the equally contentious ‘Allah” issues.

Yesterday following the Kuala Lumpur High Court ruling against Sabah SIB Church challenging the Home Ministry’s decision to seize children’s religious books containing the “Allah”, “Batullah”, “Solat” and “Kaabah” words in August 2007, a dismayed Upko former president Bernard Dompok said the government should be “honoured” that Malay language is used in the church.

In January he said Putrajaya should stop paying “lip service” to religious freedom.

Last month Upko acting president Madius Tangau also rejected hudud and upheld Dompok’s view that Putrajaya must honour the 10-Point Resolution passed by the federal Cabinet on among others East Malaysians right to profess and practice their faith freely.

In yesterday’s ruling, Justice Zaleha Yusof said she was ‘bound’ by the decision handed down by the Court of Appeal last October on the Herald issue. The court ruled that Allah was “not an integral part of part of the Christian faith and practice”.

FMT Borneo Plus