Top opposition leaders agree to maintain the Common Policy Framework
PETALING
JAYA: Pakatan Rakyat’s top leaders are in agreement that the hudud law
will not be implemented if the coalition takes over Putrajaya in the
next general election as the Islamic penal law is not part of its Common
Policy Framework.
PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang told the media after a meeting of the
senior leadership at the PKR headquarters this morning that Pakatan
would adhere to the position announced in September 2011.
Pakatan leaders held a three-hour meeting on Sept 28, 2011 to trash
out the hudud issue and subsequently announced that it was not part of
the bloc’s policy to introduce such Islamic law provisions and that any
move to do so would require the consensus of all three parties.
“We agreed back then to uphold the Federal Constitution on the
position of Islam while at the same time respecting the different
ideologies and religious beliefs within Pakatan Rakyat,” Hadi said.
The hudud question has long been a thorny issue between PAS and DAP,
and surfaced again last week after PAS Ulama Council chief Harun Taib
said its implementation, as well as amending the Federal Constitution to
enable it, would be PAS’ priorities.
Hadi was afterwards quoted as saying that hudud would be implemented
if Pakatan came into power but would be enforceable only among Muslims.
DAP chairman Karpal Singh once again raised a strong objection to
Hadi’s statement and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said any attempt
to work outside the Pakatan framewok would be akin to a “stab in the
back”.
Election manifesto
Veteran DAP leader Lim Kit Siang, speaking at today’s press
conference, said Pakatan would maintain the Common Policy Framework,
which covers the bloc’s commitment to the Federal Constitution, which
upholds Islam as the religion of the federation while allowing other
religions to be practised peacefully throughout the country.
“If there is any change in policy it will have to be by way of
consensus from all three Pakatan Rakyat parties,” Lim said. “And on the
question of hudud – it is not in the Common Policy Framework.
“We respect PAS’ views on hudud but our position is also very clear
as we feel it is not in accordance with the Federal Constitution.”
PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim said all three parties were committed to
remaining united in heading towards the next general election and would
maintain that unity if Pakatan were to form the next government.
That assurance flew in the face of Harun’s statement that PAS would
consider changing its political allies in order to achieve its hudud
objective.
“What Kit Siang just said we have signed upon and repeated numerous
times,” Anwar said. “But certain quarters within Umno and Perkasa have
still attacked us, especially DAP.
“They have even attacked Kit Siang personally as someone who will
dishonour the constitution and this allegation has been made as well by
Najib [Tun Razak] himself. So I’m very glad that Kit Siang has cleared
up the issue today.”
Apart from the hudud issue, the leaders also discussed the
coalition’s election manifesto, which, according to Anwar would be
adapted to meet each state’s individual needs.
With regard to seat allocation, PAS secretary-general Mustafa Ali
said the negotiations were “90% complete” and would be finalised at
Pakatan’s next meeting, expected to take place within a week.
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