Hudud: How to trust you, Najib

The fears of non-Muslims are justified given the Allah controversy, seizure of the Al-Kitab, kidnapping of the Hindu boy by his Muslim-convert father and ban on Bibles in Pahang hotels.

KUCHING: Prime Minister Najib Razak, as the leader of secular Malaysia must take a firm stand on the hudud issue and quell rising fears, said Ba Kelalan assemblyman Baru Bian.

Bian said currently Najib was “neither here nor there” on the issue and was sending out dangerous signals.

“How can we simply follow the prime minister’s stand when he is neither here nor there?

“The prime minister’s response should be that Malaysia is a secular country as provided in the Federal Constitution and that there is no place for the implementation of hudud law unless the Federal Constitution is amended to allow for it,” he said.

Bian, who is also Sarawak PKR chief, said based on the track record, Malaysians cannot rely on political leaders verbal assurances that the hudud will not affect affect the non-Muslims when and if implemented.

“I am not convinced as recent developments in Malaya have been infringing on the rights of non-Muslims.

“One instance is the banning of Bibles in hotel rooms in Pahang by the state Islamic Council.

“Clearly this deprives the rights of travelling Christians to read their Holy Book.

“There is nothing wrong with having both the Bible and the Koran in hotel rooms and leaving it to the guest to read whichever one is applicable,” Bian said in statement here.

He said the fears of non-Muslims in the country was justified, given the Allah controversy, the raid of the Bible Society and confiscation of the Al-Kitab and the Iban’s Bup Kudus and most recently, the kidnapping of the Hindu boy by his Muslim-convert father and the police’s refusal to take any action.

“All these are not consistent with the rhetoric of the authorities that non-Muslims will not be affected by the goings-on of the religious bodies.

“These incidents are signs that the rights of minorities are slowly and insidiously being eroded while the government pays lip service to the protection of our rights.

“How do they expect us to trust them?” Bian asked, adding that he was not opposing hudud for the purpose of rejecting Islam or claiming fresh rights for Sarawakians.

“All I am talking about is maintaining the status quo under the social contract that was agreed among the partners in the Federation of Malaysia,” he said.

Bian was responding to a statement by State Islamic Affairs Minister Daud Abdul Rahman that Sarawak will toe the line Najib takes on the hudud issue.

Najib had reportedly indicated that Putrajaya was ‘leaning’ towards hudud and that Muslims and Non-Muslims should accept this as inevitable.

Said Bian: “I was extremely disappointed and appalled to read that Sarawak will comply with any decision or stand made by Prime Minister Najib Razak on the motion of the private bill for hudud.

“Given Najib’s pathetic track record in controlling the religious extremists and bigots in Malaya, we will be led into the dark abyss of racial strife and religious intolerance should we be so foolish as to follow him.”

FMT Borneo Plus