here we go again: to ‘hudud’ or not to ‘hudud’

so after PAS’s musa husam’s remark that PAS will introduce hudud laws if  PAS takes over the federal government, as expected, we hear the various leaders speaking up, for or against or attacking each other and so on.

lim kit siang was quick to speak up that hudud is not part of pakatan rakyat’s policy. the son-in-law was also quick to pick this up to widen the gap between DAP and PAS. MCA also joined in to slam PAS.

PAS’s nik aziz demanded to know from DAP why they reject the hudud laws. fine, he said, if they rejected it but give us some good reasons. well, no problem there for DAP’s karpal singh who had outlined the objections, and at the same time, he, like others, also called for pakatan’s leader, anwar to speak up. particularly interesting is the article from malaysiakini, where penang-based academician dr sivamurugan pandian urged the PKR de facto leader  to step in and end the problem once and for all. (see full article below)

if i remember correctly, this issue of PAS going to introduce hudud laws and people jumping up to object happened before sometime back. it is like something that keep repeating itself. i tell you, after this hoo-haa died down, everybody will forget about it but  then come… few years, again this issue will be brought up to the limelight and the hoo-haa will start again. how to solve this? maybe dr. sivamurugan was right. anwar should speak up to ‘bury the ghost’ so as he claimed. ok here is the article from malaysiakini, written by penang based malaysiakini reporter, athi, whom i had met before several times.

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Hdud laws – Anwar must clarify Pakatan’s stand
Athi Veeranggan | Dec 23, 08 4:19pm

Pakatan Rakyat is in danger of a break-up if the current public spat between component party leaders over the Islamic state issue and Hudud laws continues unabated.

MCPX

Penang-based academician Dr Sivamurugan Pandian is urging PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim to step in and end the problem once and for all.

The Universiti Sains Malaysia senior lecturer in the School of Social Sciences said Anwar is duty-bound to prove his mettle by resolving the issue, which has unearthed the vast differences of opinion over religious and cultural matters within the opposition coalition.

"Since he is the Pakatan de facto leader, he has the responsibility to bury the ghost.

"Otherwise, it could boil over, confuse the people and lead to the eventual break up of the coalition," he told Malaysiakini in Georgetown today.

Stressing that the Pakatan premier-designate cannot afford to sweep the contentious issue under the carpet, Sivamurugan called on Anwar to be honest in acknowledging the fact that serious differences exist in Pakatan over religious and cultural issues.

"He cannot afford to run away from the problem. He must resolve it to protect the interests of both Pakatan and the public," he said.

Sivamurugan also noted that the quarrel over an Islamic-state and hudud laws would not have occurred if the Pakatan leadership had, early on, reached an agreement on the common causes and objectives of the coalition.

Sadly though, he lamented that Anwar and company had yet to outline and unveil a collective and uniformed policy on political governance and social-economic development in Pakatan-administered states.

"The public showdown between DAP and PAS over hudud laws surfaced because there is no standard policy for Pakatan and the five states it governs until today.

"This is detrimental to the two-tier political system that the people aspire for," he said.

Common agenda vital

Kelantan-based PAS vice-president Husam Musam triggered the public debate over hudud laws when he said PAS would have implemented the Islamic law had Pakatan taken over the federal government on Sept 16.

Husam’s statement drew sharp rebukes from DAP leaders like Lim Kit Siang, national chairperson Karpal Singh and secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, who all insisted that the establishment of an Islamic state and hudud laws were never part of Pakatan’s agenda.

PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat added more fuel to the fire when he called on DAP leaders to explain the reasons behind their rejection of PAS’ Islamic drive.

Since Pakatan comprises parties with different ideologies, Sivamurugan said it was important for PKR and Anwar to take the lead and draw out a common agenda and end the public dilemma.

He said currently, it was clear that Pakatan allies were rallying together for a common struggle mainly due to Anwar’s sheer political charisma and leadership.

But, he stressed that the continuous row over religious and cultural issues between PAS and DAP would lead to eventual confusion on "who is right and who is wrong."

"People will also question what will happen to Pakatan in a post-Anwar period, which would lead to a public loss of confidence.

"This is bad for the political future of the country," warned the political analyst.