This time it is the Himpunan RUU355 rally organised by PAS in support of the amendments to the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 and the counter-rally by a group calling itself Bebas.
The announcement on the counter rally was made in a statement released today by Bebas, which describes itself as a movement that upholds equality, opposes racial discrimination and advocates religious freedom in Malaysia.
Bebas said it plans to organise a peaceful rally on Feb 18, 2017, at Padang Merbok, Kuala Lumpur, to express its strong objection to the amendments, which were tabled by PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang as a Private Members Bill last year.
“Our rally, called ‘Malaysians Reject Hadi’s Bill’, will take place from 3pm to 5pm, on Feb 18.
“All Malaysians, irrespective of race and religion, are welcome to join the rally to protest against Hadi’s Bill, which is a dangerous piece of legislation that could open the door to hudud law,” the Bebas statement said.
The statement was signed by three members — Azrul Mohd Khalib, Azira Aziz and R Suresh.
Calling the amendments “disingenuous”, Bebas said there had been no justification or rationale provided for the need to enhance shariah punishments.
It was previously reported that the original Hadi’s bill had been modified and will now be limited to just enhancing shariah punishments instead of enforcing its own version of the shariah criminal code.
The enhanced punishments include 30 years’ jail, RM100,000 fine and 100 lashes. At present, shariah courts can impose three years’ jail, a RM5,000 fine and six strokes of the rotan.
“We have heard no citation of research studies which attest that harsher punishments lead to deterrence or reduced occurrences of shariah offences, or convict recidivism in Muslim countries already implementing similar laws.
“Any proposed reforms must be done through an evidence-based policy-making process, not merely rhetoric,” Bebas said.
Saying that the amendments must be open to scrutiny and treated like any other legislation up for a vote in parliament, Bebas added that the amendment and the opinion by Hadi must be open to scrutiny and questioning by all, including both Muslims and non-Muslims.
Bebas said this was because the money used to run the shariah court system and enforcement of shariah legislation comes from both Muslim and non-Muslim taxpayers in the country.
“All Malaysians, regardless of race and religion, have the right to speak up on issues and laws which could drastically change the country’s secular structure and our way of life.
“We remind our MPs that they represent Malaysian voters of various ethnicities and faiths. Their decisions must be representative of the people and take into account both Muslims and non-Muslims who oppose Hadi’s Bill.
“Therefore, we urge all MPs of all faiths, including Muslim lawmakers, to summon the courage to vote ‘No’ against Hadi’s Bill.”
No further details were provided for the counter-rally to be held one month from today, but more details on Bebas are available on their Facebook page.