Press Statement By DAP Secretary-General And MP For Bagan Lim Guan Eng In Kuala Lumpur On 20.12.2014.
PAS’ arguments for wanting to implement hudud laws on Muslims in Kelantan despite being not part of the PR Common Policy or 2013 General Election Manifesto is centered on 3 key points. One, that this is PAS democratic right and PR component parties can agree to disagree. Two, the hudud laws were proposed in Kelantan before PR was established and hence not relevant to PR. Finally it is only implemented on Muslims and does not affect non-Muslims.
Such arguments are both self-contradictory and fallacious. Whilst PAS can pursue its hudud agenda within the democratic context, it must do so within the framework of PR as a coalition partner that trusts its partners and keep its promises. Worse, this violates the PR consensus painstakingly achieved since 2008 as set out in the Common Policy and 2013 General Election Manifesto that did not mention hudud laws at all. Further such actions can even be considered dishonourable as a result of PAS’ willingness to work with its mortal enemy UMNO and against the wishes of both PKR and DAP.
If the Kelantan hudud laws were passed in the nineties and hence not relevant to PR which was set up in 2008, why then did PAS not press for the implementation of hudud immediately after the 2008 general elections, when PAS had gained 2 new Menteri Besars in Perak and Kedah? PAS did not do so immediately after the 2008 general elections because it was focused on good governance.
By pursuing this after the 2013 general elections now, there is strong suspicion that PAS has abandoned good governance because it has no confidence in winning voters’ support and standing on its record of competency, accountability and transparency. Further PAS is too trusting to rely on the mere promise of UMNO that will support hudud laws, when UMNO has shown itself as a party that repeatedly breaks its promises. Witness the failure of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to fulfil the thrice-repeated promise to repeal the Sedition Act or to increase BR1M from RM650 to RM1,200 made in the 2013 general election manifesto.
Can UMNO be relied upon to keep its promises? PAS has allowed itself to be naively trapped by UMNO’s political ploys. Instead of challenging UMNO to make the first move to implement hudud laws on Muslims in Kelantan in Parliament because UMNO is the Federal government, PAS is taking the initiative. Both PAS and UMNO knows that non-Muslim support for PAS has now fallen to 2004 general election levels of less than 5%. Whether UMNO supports or not PAS’ hudud laws in Parliament, there is no way back for PAS amongst non-Muslim voters if PAS takes the initiative to implement hudud laws in Parliament.
The high 80% non-Muslim voters who voted during the 2013 general election in favour for PAS against UMNO, will feel betrayed by a PAS that they voted to fight corruption and replace BN, not to implement hudud laws. UMNO has nothing to lose but everything to gain in getting back the non-Muslim votes they lost to PAS in the 2013 general elections. It is unlikely that hudud is an election winner for PAS amongst Malay voters, because if hudud laws are that crucial, PAS would have won every general elections over the last 50 years and not have to wait 50 years until 2008 general elections to win in Kedah and Perak by combining with both PKR and DAP.
Non-Muslim voters will not be deceived by the contention of PAS that implementing hudud laws in Kelantan does not affect them as it is only imposed on Muslims. Every non-Muslim knows that the Federal Constitution will have unalterably changed and Malaysia changed fundamentally from the present civil administration, when hudud laws are implemented under a “one country, two criminal systems’. Non-Muslims knows that this is only the first step towards eventually leading to a full implementation of hudud laws on all, including non-Muslims in the future.
PAS should not abandon good governance in favour of naively believing that UMNO will help to implement hudud laws on Muslims in Kelantan, when this will irretrievably alter the fundamental nature of our Federal Constitution and set back PR’s efforts to save Malaysia from corruption and BN.
LIM GUAN ENG
—– Mandarin version —
民主行动党秘书长兼峇眼区国会议员林冠英于2014年12月20日在吉隆坡发表声明：
在2013年大选中投选伊斯兰党而不是巫统、高达80%非穆斯林选民将觉得遭伊斯兰党背叛，是为了反贪及改朝换代而投票，不是为了推行伊斯兰刑事法。
伊斯兰党要求在吉兰丹的穆斯林身上实施伊斯兰刑事法，尽管这不是民联的共同政纲或2013年的大选宣言，他们提出三点依据：一、这是伊斯兰党的民主权利，民联成员党可以“和而不同”。二、伊斯兰刑事法在吉兰丹提出时，民联还没有成立，因为它与民联无关。最后，伊斯兰刑事法只实施在穆斯林身上，而不是非穆斯林身上。
如此的争论是自相矛盾及荒谬的。尽管伊斯兰党可以在民主的背景下进行伊刑法的议程，它必须是在估统一领导民联成员党之一、相信伙伴及守诺的框架内进行的。更糟的是，伊刑法违背民联自2008辛辛苦苦建立的共识，如共同政纲及2013年全国大选宣言根本就没有提及伊刑法。再说，伊党的举动可以被视为不诚实，因为它竟然在违背公正党和行动党的意愿下，与它的宿敌巫统合作。
如果吉兰丹伊斯兰刑事法因在90年代通过，因此“与2008年成立的民联无关”，那么为何伊党在2008年全国大选后不立即推行伊刑法？当时伊斯兰党赢得霹雳州及吉打州两个州务大臣的职位。伊斯兰党在2008年大选后没有马上推行伊刑法，因为当时它的焦点是良好施政。
2013年大选过后才在现在谈伊刑法，我们非常怀疑它已经因为没有信心赢取选票、再也站不稳伊党能干、公信及透明的脚步，因而放弃了良好施政。再说，伊党太相信巫统会支持伊刑法的承诺，而偏偏巫统经常“讲话不算数”。首相拿督斯里纳吉也已经证明他言而无信，他三次保证废除煽动法令、以及2013年大选中承诺将一马援助金众650令吉增加到1200令吉，都不了了之。
我们还可以相信巫统会遵守诺言吗？伊党“太天真太傻”，受陷于巫统的政治把戏。他们不但没有挑战联邦政府的巫统在国会中主动在吉兰丹穆斯林身上推行伊刑法，反而自己先主动。伊党及巫统都知道，2004年全国大选中非穆斯林对伊党的支持掉至少于5%。巫统是否支持或伊党。无论巫统是否支持伊党在国会提呈的伊刑法，如果伊党在国会主动要求推行伊刑法，伊党将会失去非穆斯林选民的支持。
在2013年大选中投选伊斯兰党而不是巫统、高达80%非穆斯林选民将觉得遭伊斯兰党背叛，是为了反贪及改朝换代而投票，不是为了推行伊斯兰刑事法。 巫统必须不顾一切、想尽办法把那些在2013年输给伊党的选票赢回来。伊党如果要用伊刑法来在马来选票中制胜看来不太可能，如果伊刑法是制胜关键，伊党早在过去50年每一场大选都赢了，而不用等到50年后2008年大选，在与公正党、行动党合作的情况下，才赢得吉打及霹雳两个州属。
非穆斯林选民才不会相信伊党的论点，即“在吉兰丹推行伊刑法不会影响他们，只是实施在穆斯林身上”，每一名非穆斯林都知道，当伊刑法在“一国两套刑事法”的情况下实施，联邦宪法便已经被改变，而马来西亚也将从根本上完全改变现有的民事政体。非穆斯林也知道，这将是全面实施伊刑法的第一步，最终影响全部的非穆斯林。
伊党不应该放弃良好施政，天真地相信巫统会协助他们在吉兰丹的穆斯林身上推行伊刑法，这将无可挽救地改变我国联邦宪法的本质，也将令民联改朝换代、反贪的努力倒退、推迟。
林冠英