Nur Jazlan: Not the right time to implement hudud

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno lawmaker Nur Jazlan Mohamed (pic) said PAS should be focusing on developing Islam and not on punishing Muslims, in the wake of the hudud bill being passed in Kelantan state assembly.

Speaking to reporters here in Parliament, Thursday, the Pulai MP said he had always maintained the position that it was not the right time to implement the Islamic penal code.

“We have been doing other things which are required by Islam such as developing the country and giving women fair rights,” he said, after chairing a Public Accounts Committee meeting earlier.

He said in Kelantan, women "could not even go to the movies with their boyfriends”.

“They can’t sit together and it is not fair for the women. There are great inconsistencies in the Pas representatives' behaviour in Kelantan,” Nur Jazlan said.

Nur Jazlan also warned that religious issues such as this could cause a divide and that it should go back to being a moderate country.

“Sensitive matters like this should not determine our future,” he said, adding that this would also ruin the country's hopes in being moderate nation which could interact with the world.

He said if the bill gets to the Federal level through the private member’s bill, it will be inconsistent to the Federal Constitution and there’s a possibility that it will be rejected by the Dewan Rakyat at the initial stage.

“Any bill, which is against the constitution will be rejected by the Speaker automatically as members are not allowed to pass any laws contravening to it,” he said.

Kelantan state assembly has just passed Syariah Criminal Code Enactment II 1993, that will supersede the present Penal Code.

The amendments will be inserted in thee private member's bills to be tabled in Parliament by this year that needed a simple majority to enable hudud to be practiced in Kelantan.