PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man told reporters on the sidelines of an event yesterday that Muhyiddin, the former deputy prime minister told PAS in a meeting that he would give his full commitment to back PAS at the Dewan Rakyat, including on the proposed amendments to Act 355.
“Actually, we have discussed it and he (Muhyiddin) has in principle, agreed with the Act 355 amendments and has no problems with it. We discussed the matter in our recent meeting.
“Whatever issues are raised in the Dewan Rakyat, he has no problems supporting them,” he said at a political dialogue in Setiawangsa. Muhyiddin is PPBM’s sole MP.
PAS is seeking to amend the act, allowing for stiffer punishments for shariah offenders, a move widely seen as setting the stage to usher hudud Islamic criminal punishment in Kelantan.
PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang has been pushing to increase the maximum punishment for shariah offences to 30 years’ jail, 100 lashes of the cane and RM100,000 in fines, through a private member’s bill tabled in the Dewan Rakyat last year.
Shariah punishment is currently capped at jail terms not exceeding three years, whipping of not more than six strokes of the cane and a maximum fine of RM5,000.
Before this, PAS and PPBM agreed to meet in an effort to formalise an electoral pact between the two parties for the next general election (GE14).
This was seen by many as a move by PPBM to be the middleman between PAS and Pakatan Harapan components, DAP and Amanah – two parties who are bitter enemies of PAS.
But Tuan Ibrahim said to date, seat allocations between PAS and PPBM haven’t been discussed and that this was still regarded as premature.
“There have been no discussions on seats. The technical committee will meet and we’ll see how that goes. Anyway, we don’t even know when the election will be held,” he said, in reference to the joint-technical committee formed by PPBM and PAS on the possible electoral cooperation.