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Malaysia's opposition alliance not united over hudud laws

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Press Trust of India Kuala Lumpur
Last Updated : Apr 27 2013 | 6:10 PM IST
With General elections around the corner in multi-ethnic Malaysia, the demand for an Islamic state and hudud laws by a Muslim fundamental party has worried the opposition alliance.
Grassroot leaders of Islamic party PAS have supported their leadership in pushing for an Islamic state to be set up and hudud laws to be implemented if the opposition alliance come to power in the country.
In Islamic law or Sharia, hudud usually refers to the class of punishments that are fixed for certain crimes including theft, fornication and adultery, consumption of alcohol or other intoxicants, and apostasy.
PAS' permanent chairman Abu Kassim Abdullah said "The grassroots have spent time, energy and money in support of PAS' struggle for the setting up of an Islamic state."
Abdullah said that Democratic Action Party (DAP) led by ethnic Indian Karpal Singh is now more open to PAS' aenda.
The opposition alliance comprises Democratic Action Party (DAP), Islamic fundamentalist PAS and People's Justice Party (PKR) led by former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim.

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"We believe DAP has now become more receptive of the agenda and ideology of PAS," he said referring to the other opposition group DAP .
"After all, DAP leaders have already announced that they were ready to use PAS' logo when they thought they would not be allowed to use their rocket symbol in the elections. This has sent signals to the grassroots that DAP is warming up to PAS," he said.
Meanwhile, Karpal Singh has said that PAS leaders had been told to stop bringing up the hudud issue adding that opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim should make a stand on the matter.
Singh said he regretted that opposition alliance member PAS "is insisting that it will pursue its aim to bring in hudud, which is not in the common manifesto.
"DAP's stand on hudud is very clear. It ought not and should not be brought into the country. When I say this, I speak on behalf of DAP," he said at a press conference yesterday.
He also said that Anwar would make a statement on the issue for the sake of public interest.
Singh said that PAS would not be able to amend the Federal Constitution to implement hudud in the country, as it could not be amended without the cooperation of DAP and Anwar Ibrahim's opposition party PKR.
"There must be a two-thirds majority to amend the Constitution,' he added.
Meanwhile, ruling coalition Barisan Nasional's component party the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) has stressed that Malaysians accepted the twin affirmations that Islam is the country's official religion and that individuals are free to practise the religion of their choice.
MCA Young Professional Bureau chief Chua Tee Yong added that hudud law was not suitable for Malaysia because of the country's multi-racial nature.
Multi-ethnic and multi religious Malaysia has 60 per cent Malays who are all Muslims and also 25 per cent ethnic Chinese who are mostly Buddhists or Christians and eight per cent Ethnic Indians who are mostly Hindus.
Since Independence from Britain in 1957, Malaysia has always been led by Barisan Nasional party which comprises the Malay faction UMNO, the Chinese faction MCA and the ethnic Indian political group Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC).
The last general elections in 2008 saw Barisan win by a slender margin as the opposition wrenched some seats long held by Barisan.

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First Published: Apr 27 2013 | 6:10 PM IST

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