(Sin Chew Daily) -- PAS Supporters Congress national chairman Hu Phang Chaw said PAS advocated the implementation of hudud law through democratic proceedings. In other words, if support from two thirds of MPs in the Parliament could not be secured in order to amend the Constitution to implement the hudud law, then it will be shelved.
He said that was the decision of the party's political bureau.
Hu pointed out that hudud law was a part of the Islamic penal code that could never be abolished, just like Buddhism's advocacy of vegetarianism and the Ten Commandments of Christianity, which must never be challenged. As such, he said PAS hoped to decide whether to implement the hudud law in the country through democratic proceedings.
He said during a media conference this afternoon that he was recently appointed a member of the party's central political bureau, becoming the first ever non-Muslim in the party's 61-year history to have the opportunity of taking part in the party's decision-making mechanism.
He believed the move showed that PAS was willing to accept the reality of Malaysia's plural society, and had thus adopted a more open and more plural political direction.
The membership of PAS' political bureau, which has just been established recently, comprises the party's president, deputy president, four vice presidents, secretary-general, Youth national chairman, Wanita chairman, national chairman of PAS Supporters Congress, election bureau chairman and central strategy research centre chairman.
Hu pointed out that other than the issue of hudud law, the political bureau also discussed Nasharudin Mat Isa's proposal that PAS withdraw from the opposition pact.
He also said the party would organise a seminar in Selangor early September to seek public opinion on the party's policies so that these policies could be implemented for the well-being of all Malaysians if it won the next general election.
He added that the chances of Pakatan taking the helm at Putrajaya was on the rise following changes in the political situation in East Malaysia and Johor.
He also urged the MCA to stop instilling Islamophobia among the people from the hudud law in a bid to solicit support from Chinese voters.
As a political party, he said MCA should instead highlight its own political ideologies and not persistently distort Islam just to win the election.
He said MCA was playing with fire trying to fan up emotions among the Chinese community by using the hudud law, adding that this would kill any chance of MCA candidates in Malay constituencies because no one would tolerate his religion being insulted and sabotaged by other people.
Besides, Hu also felt that the hudud law forum organised by MCA in the past was indeed a good beginning. He said MCA should organise more of such forums to allow the Chinese community and Muslims to look into this issue in a more macroscopic and rational approach.
He said if needed he would be willing to help make arrangements for PAS leaders to meet up with their MCA counterparts and to hear their views on various issues.
