MCA more serious than DAP in opposing Sharia laws
(The Star) – DAP did not strongly oppose the RUU355 bill as they had previously vowed to do, said MCA.
MCA Publicity Bureau chief Datuk Chai Kim Sen (pic) said that despite having announced that they would oppose PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang’s Private Member’s Bill, also known as RUU 355, DAP MPs did not make a clear stand against it in Parliament.
“While DAP promised the Chinese community they would oppose the Act 355 Amendments Bill, Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, Pakatan Harapan’s chief secretary, revealed that they did not oppose the Bill,” said Chai in a statement on Saturday.
He said that rather than opposing Abdul Hadi’s motion to table his Bill, DAP MPs merely “picked on parliamentary procedure”.
On Friday, Saifuddin had said in a statement that Pakatan Harapan MPs did not object to the Bill being tabled by Hadi but wanted the opportunity to debate it.
“Is DAP not part of the Pakatan Harapan coalition?” said Chai.
He said that DAP frequently picked on parliamentary procedure and often used the constitutional convention to challenge the Dewan Rakyat Speaker.
“If this can be regarded as a means of opposing the Act 355 Amendments Bill, then DAP is manipulating the voters,” said Chai.
“It is a fact that the 36 DAP MPs did not make a clear stand on the Act 355 Amendments Bill in Parliament. No one can deny that,” he added.
PAS President Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang tabled the proposed amendments to the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act or RUU355 at about 12.40pm on Thursday, after question time.
The proposed amendments to Section 2 of RUU355 seek to increase the current “imprisonment of more than three years or fine of more than RM5,000, or more than six lashes” to “jail term of more than 30 years or fine more than RM100,000 or 100 lashes as administered in line with the syariah crimes”.
Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia however deferred the Bill to the next Parliament meeting after Kota Baru MP Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan was the sole lawmaker given a chance to speak in support of the Bill.
