Speaking to FMT while attending a forum here, former law professor Gurdial noted that Mahathir has been very vocal against the Islamisation programme propounded by PAS.
“When he was PM the first time (1981-2003), he tried to neutralise PAS’ efforts to politicise Islam,” Gurdial said, adding that Mahathir had tried to counter this through efforts which favoured the government at the time.
“What he did was that he declared Malaysia an Islamic state, knowing full well what the Federal Constitution says,” he said after a forum on the general election results, organised by the Council of Churches Malaysia.
Then Mahathir started establishing a variety of institutions like Islamic banking and other religious institutions to support the government’s viewpoints, to battle against the PAS Islamisation efforts.
Gurdial also said Mahathir has consistently been vocal against hudud criminal penalties, describing it as unIslamic and that it shouldn’t be implemented in Malaysia.
“In that sense, Mahathir is an ally.”
On the other hand, Gurdial noted that PKR had not taken a clear position on the efforts by PAS to expand the criminal jurisdiction of Syariah Courts through a private member’s bill.
“They said it needs more time, that they need to reflect on it more carefully, get views of others and that it can’t be rushed through and has to be deferred. Their position is less clear cut, compared to Mahathir’s.”
PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang tabled a private member’s bill to amend Act 355, or the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965. His proposal allows the court to mete out jail sentences of up to 30 years, levy a fine of up to RM100,000 or impose up to 100 lashes of the cane for certain offences under the syariah penal code.
Gurdial said the PAS influence in the Malay hinterland, particularly the East Coast, could be a challenge for Pakatan Harapan.
He said PAS constituencies may not be agreeable to PH’s direction which was geared towards a more open, liberal, free and transparent direction. “PKR might need to moderate some policies to take into account the sensitivities of these constituencies.”