No talks yet on hudud bill, says Azmin

There have been no official discussions between Pakatan Rakyat leaders on the proposed hudud bill that PAS is expected to table in Parliament.

PKR deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali told reporters today that the contentious issue will be discussed during the next presidential council, but did not specify a date.

“I’m sure if there are some concerns in certain quarters, Pakatan will come back and discuss. We never sweep things under the carpet, we want the public to get a clear explanation,” said Azmin at the PKR headquarters.

Azmin said that PKR’s stance on the issue remains the same: that hudud is not part of the Pakatan Rakyat common policy framework and nothing can take off without consensus from all coalition partners.

He said that he was confident that the PAS leadership, especially those in Kelantan, will seek out its coalition partners to talk about the issue.

“This issue does not arise because we have discussed and deliberated at the presidential council which was attended by all key leaders in PKR, PAS and DAP which was based on the paper (PAS president) Hadi Awang presented (in 2011).

"We have made our decision clear since then and we will hold on to that stance,” he said.

The latest push for hudud laws to be implemented came about after Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom, the minister in charge of religious affairs, said in Parliament last month that the federal government was prepared to cooperate with any state government in enforcing hudud laws.

Subsequently, Kelantan PAS reportedly said that it was preparing a private members bill to bring to Parliament, and declared that the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code Enactment can be implemented in the state.

Deputy Menteri Besar Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah was quoted as saying that the draft bill was ready and the earliest date for the tabling was June.

UMNO Kelantan has expressed support over the implementation of the Islamic criminal law.

However, the move has invited strong opposition from certain quarters, especially from DAP and MCA. They argue that hudud laws are unsuitable for multi-racial Malaysia and was unconstitutional.