PAS should enlighten MPs on tabling of hudud bills: Mustapa

KOTA BARU: PAS should enlighten parliamentarians on the plan by the Kelantan government to table two private bills in Parliament, allowing the state to enforce hudud by early next year, said International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed (pix).
He said the motion should be thoroughly understood by all parties to avoid polemics and conflicts among various races in the country.
"First and foremost, PAS has to explain to Muslim MPs and subsequently non-Muslim MPs.
"Do not do things without proper planning as consultations and discussions had to be made before the motions are tabled in Parliament," he told reporters at the Sultan Ismail Airport, Pengkalan Chepa here today.
The Pas-led Kelantan government, through PAS MPs, plans to table the motions to pave the way for the implementation the Syariah Criminal Code (II) 1993 in the state by December.
(Hudud refers to specific rules or laws decreed by God with mandatory punishment meted out to those convicted. Punishment for offences are corporal in nature, involving whipping, stoning to death and amputation of limbs).
Kelantan Deputy Menteri Besar Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah, who is also state hudud technical committee chairman, was quoted as saying that the draft bills were ready except a bit of fine-tuning and the earliest date for the tabling was June.
Mustapa, who is also Kelantan Umno liaison committee chairman, said PAS also needed to brief their allies, the DAP and PKR, which had clearly opposed the proposed bills.
"To me, Muslim MPs should also explain to non-Muslim counterparts on what hudud is all about as misunderstanding could cause polemics and racial tension. We have to protect unity among races," he added.
Mustapa said the Umno Supreme Council had yet to discuss on hudud specifically and he was confident hat the party's leadership would treat the matter seriously. – Bernama