“PAS appears to be smarter than Umno,” Abdul Hamid Mohamad said in a recent blog posting. The tone of his article indicated that he used the word “smarter” to mean “more devious”.
He noted that PAS leaders were saying that the purpose of the proposed amendment to Act 355 was only to increase the jurisdiction of the shariah courts, that it had nothing to do with the hudud agenda.
He said such statements were made “to confuse those who do not agree with the implementation of hudud” and to make it “easier for Umno to give its support”.
He said PAS leaders knew well enough that the amendment would pave the way for the implementation of hudud. He alleged that they were sharing this knowledge only with PAS members.
“They are not stupid.” he said. “Indeed, on the hudud issue, politically, PAS appears to be smarter than Umno.”
Hamid said it appeared that Umno leaders were echoing what PAS leaders were saying.
“I believe that Umno leaders who do not understand the full effect of the amendment repeat what PAS leaders are saying because they do not want the party to be seen as opposing hudud.”
Hamid acknowledged the possibility that there are Umno leaders who understand the real effect of the amendment but were echoing PAS’ public statements in the hope of “satisfying everyone”.
PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang is expected to table a Private Member’s Bill to amend Act 355 – or the Shariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 – to give shariah courts “unlimited power to impose all hudud punishments” except the death penalty.
The Kelantan Shariah Criminal Code makes reference to the hudud offences of zina (fornication), qazaf (false witnessing in allegations of zina), sharb al-khamr (alcohol consumption) and irtidad or riddah (apostasy).
Hamid said the effect of the amendment was that there would be no more restrictions as to the nature and extent of the punishment that a state legislative assembly could assign to the shariah courts.
Should the amendment be passed, he added, the PAS-led Kelantan Government could move the state assembly to pass a law providing for hudud punishments.
Noting that Act 355 is a federal law, he said it would be incorrect to say that the amendment would affect only the state of Kelantan.