“Umno is not the only one politicising hudud for its own interests. There is another party which used the issue way before Umno did,” he said in a statement today.
The Kuala Terengganu MP said this in commenting on PAS vice-president Idris Ahmad’s assertion earlier today that Umno had used the discussion on the planned implementation of hudud law to further its own political agenda.
Idris had responded to a statement by Terengganu Menteri Besar Ahmad Razif Abdul Rahman last Saturday that the state was not prepared to implement hudud until an in-depth study on it was conducted.
Razif, who is also Terengganu Umno chairman, said the decision to implement hudud must be determined by the state assembly and only after getting the consent of the Sultan of Terengganu.
Razif’s view contradicted the assertion by the state’s telecommunications, multimedia and special tasks executive councillor Ghazali Taib, who, during the Terengganu Media “Kembara Dakwah” event in Aceh on Friday, said Terengganu would continue to fight for the implementation of Islamic law in the state.
Raja Kamarul recalled that Umno and PAS assemblymen in Terengganu had failed to support a motion to debate a shariah enactment at the state assembly earlier this year
PAS’ Batu Burok assemblyman Syed Azman Syed Ahmad Nawawi had in March submitted a motion to discuss why the Syariah Criminal Offence (Hudud and Qisas) Terengganu Enactment 2002 had not been implemented after it was passed by the assembly on July 7, 2002.
Syed Azman had noted that it had received royal approval from the Sultan of Terengganu on Sept 2, 2002, and was gazetted on Sept 25 that same year
“The proposal was rejected by the speaker, and did not get support from any PAS or Umno assembly member,” Raja Bahrin said.
Of the 32 seats in the state assembly, PAS holds 14 seats and Umno holds 17.
“This is the situation in the state where 31 of the 32 assembly members are from PAS and Umno. There is only one state assemblyman from PKR, who was accused of being a hindrance to the implementation of shariah law.
“Who is actually the hindrance?”
Raja Bahrin urged PAS and Umno to stop blaming any other party for obstructing shariah law, whether in Parliament or at the state level.
He said Pakatan Harapan parties, which occupy 88 seats in the 222-seat Dewan Rakyat, were accused of trying to block PAS’ motion on the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act (Act 355) to intensify shariah criminal punishments on April 6.
Dewan Rakyat Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia, an Umno member and former BN minister, had on the final day of the Dewan Rakyat meeting that day deferred the debate over the bill until Parliament reconvenes on July 24.
Raja Bahrin said the Umno-led federal government and PAS had already postponed the debate on Act 355 three times in Parliament.
PAS and Umno had also themselves been stumbling blocks to the enactment in Terengganu, he added.