Vote BN to stop hudud, Liow tells the Chinese

Campaign trail: Liow (right) and Barisan Nasional candidate for Sungai Besar meeting Sekinchan resident Tan Kau, 68. and his family during a walkabout in the town.

SEKINCHAN: MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai wants the Chinese community in Sungai Besar to vote for the Barisan Nasional as a strong sign of “how determined they are to stop hudud”.

He said they should support the Barisan so that the MCA could continue to protect their interests.

“We will solve this issue via Barisan’s spirit of consensus. We urge the Chinese communities in Kuala Kangsar and Sungai Besar to give MCA the political strength so that we can solve this within the Barisan itself,” he said after visiting Nam Tian temple here with Barisan candidate for Sungai Besar Budiman Mohd Zohdi yesterday.

Liow hit out at the DAP for seeking Chinese support for PAS, which he said had led the Bill to be successfully tabled in Parliament.

In Kuala Kangsar, Barisan component party leaders said they welcomed Umno’s initiative to hold a briefing on the controversial Bill.

Recently, Umno information chief Tan Sri Annuar Musa said the briefing would be held at the Barisan headquarters in Kuala Lumpur at 11am on Wednesday and that it would be attended by three representatives from each party.

He said academicians, Consti­tutional lawyers and ulamas would be present to explain the Bill.

MCA secretary-general Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan said this was an issue of public interest and that all Malaysians had the right to know.

“It is a positive move. MCA will be sending its legal experts to express the areas of concern regarding the Bill.

“We are duty bound to guard the basic principles of the Federal Cons­titution. Nobody is going to lose by championing the Consti­tution,” he said to reporters at the Kuala Kang­sar parliamentary by-election nomination centre yesterday.

Gerakan president Datuk Mah Siew Keong said the repercussions from the Bill were wide and “we can’t blame the people for expressing their fears”.

“We have always respected Islam as the official religion but the Cons­titution must be followed,” he said.

MIC president Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said the party would surely send its legal representative to voice its views and get clarification on the matter.

“We have to attend with an open mind because its vital. At present, the whole Bill is surrounded by lots of fear,” he said.