Pairin says ‘no’ to hudud

He said hudud has created unnecessary fear among non-Muslims and cannot be bulldozed in parliament.

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Barisan Nasional’s second largest partner, PBS, has rejected hudud in its current “ perspective”.

Party president Joseph Pairin Kitingan said if such a Bill is tabled in parliament, PBS members of parliament will not favour it.

“Whatever moves which will restrict the freedom of religion and impact the human rights of people in general, must be carefully considered before anything is implemented.

“Hudud has created unnecessary fear and cannot be simply bulldozed. This (hudud law) is not welcomed in that perspective.

“Therefore, if it is introduced in parliament, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) will not be in favour of that,” he said.

Pairin, who is also deputy chief minister, said in Malaysia people lived in a multiracial and multi-cultural environment where freedom of religion was guaranteed.

“We have the constitution which guarantees freedom of religion, as such there is no need for any other type of laws, particularly the hudud law,” he said yesterday when asked about PBS stand on the hotly debated issue.

PAS Kelantan and Umno have reached a consensus on hudud and are expected to table a motion in the State Legislative Assembly in June.

The move has raised concerns across the board of an eventual domino effect.

Thus far Prime Minister Najib Razak has not taken a stand of the matter, saying that the federal government is awaiting PAS’ proposal. However it’s been reported that Putrajaya may be ‘leaning’ towards such Islamic laws.

On May 1, amidst an international outcry, Brunei in Borneo became the first southeast Asian country to implement hudud laws.

The sultanate is set to progressively introduce the absolute practice of syariah law within three years including flogging, stoning and amputating limbs as penalties for serious offences.

FMT Borneo Plus