10:00AM Dec 7, 2014 Malaysiakini Hudud not way to boost Islamic cred, PAS told 15 5 24 DAP has urged its Pakatan partner PAS not to use hudud to boost its Islamic credentials, reminding the party that it does not gel with concepts of democracy that Pakatan is striving for. Gelang Patah MP Lim Kit Siang, commenting on the exclusionary views of religion that he said Umno is practising to drive a wedge between the different religions and among Pakatan parties, warned PAS not to fall into the same trap. Umno is not alone in its push for more exclusionary views of religion. We see a similar dynamic with the calls by some PAS leaders for hudud. There is a mistaken view that PAS needs to burnish its Islamic credentials by using a more exclusionary approach that imposes a particular form of religious law. This takes away the choice of Muslims in how they practice their faith and will affect non-Muslims in a wide-ranging areas from child custody to cultural practices, said Lim (left) in his speech at the Seputeh DAP anniversary dinner in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. The DAP veteran reminded PAS that the majority of Malaysians have indicated in surveys that the country is not ready for hudud, the Islamic penal code. In 2004 voters rejected these measures, giving PAS one of the most serious defeats in its political history, Lim said. Citing Tunisia as an example of Muslims worldwide are rejecting exclusionist policies, Lim said, These measures are seen as fundamentally undemocratic. They do not respect people’s choices and have the potential for greater abuse in governance. Hudud drive for personal gain Lim said DAP has succeeded in working with PAS despite their differences because of the common goal of promoting democracy and that it was one of the successes of the Pakatan coalition in the last general election. We don’t always agree on all the issues, but we do agree on the need to listen and include different points of view, different backgrounds of expertise and different contributions, he said. One of the challenges in the modern times, not only in Malaysia but in the world, is whether Muslim and non-Muslims parties could cooperate and work together for a common cause. The DAP is a secular party. We have worked with PAS together to promote democracy, he said. He lamented that those who were pressing for hudud to be implemented were fuelled by insecurity and a desire to secure their positions rather than open up political reform. We in DAP disagree with the implementation of hudud in part because we do not see how this measure can promote meaningful democracy in the Muslim world, especially Malaysia as it can only undermines democratic progress. Umno playing devils advocate However, Lim said while both parties strove to make their difference work for the common goal, Umno was using hudud to drive a wedge in the coalition. Since GE13 in Malaysia, the government has been feeding the differences within the opposition, aiming to pull it apart. While we acknowledge differences (among Pakatan partners), it is as important to appreciate how much the government has contributed to division. It is Umno that is enticing members of PAS to join them, through offers of new parliamentary seats and other potential financial and political rewards. It is Umno that is acting as a cheerleader to support a private bill on hudud to be introduced in Parliament. Umno is the dark hand of division, as it fears democratic change. It is afraid of greater democracy in Malaysia, and the people’s calls for political reform by their citizens, said Lim. He urged PAS to continue to build on the partnership with non-Muslims and aim for what the voters want of the coalition. The majority of voters in Malaysia want Pakatan Rakyat to succeed to promote democratic reforms, to promote a more democratic society based on prioritizing people, valuing the rule of law, justice, fairness and inclusion, he said. COMMENTS (24) A great speech by Lim Kit Siang. Never forget that the political alliance of PAS-PKR-DAP has been proven to be a resounding success in GE13 when it won the popular vote against overwhelming handicaps – no media access, prejudiced election commission, unclean electoral roll, rampant electoral corruption, bribery and frauds, and hostile state institutions. As former US Vice President Al Gore recently told Anwar, winning the popular vote under such extreme handicaps is considered a world record. Make no mistake, the vast majority of Malaysians support a democratic and multi-racial Malaysia advocated by Pakatan as against the exclusivist, corrupt and authoritarian regime of Umno, because, given its current popular support, Pakatan will surely score a landslide victory as and when the electoral playing field is levelled. The only stumbling block now is the PAS’ conservative faction which seems to have fallen prey to Umno’s devious scheme to cause dissension by encouraging the former to pursue exclusivist religious policy and racist agenda. Malaysians’ hope of realising its dream of a new Malaysia is therefore very much dependent on how successful the progressives in PAS will be able to prevail the party to adopt policies that will fulfil the aspiration of our multi-racial society.
Posted on: Sun, 07 Dec 2014 07:38:54 +0000
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