PETALING JAYA: The split of Pakatan Rakyat will not be imminent despite PAS’ tabling of the amendments to the Syariah Criminal Code II 1993 at the Kelantan state assembly, according to political analysts.
Prof Dr Shaharuddin Baharuddin of the UiTM public policies and administration faculty said that this is because implementation of hudud laws in the state requires the amendment of the Federal Constitution.
He said PAS’ move would not spell the end of Pakatan’s seven-year-old loose coalition until the Bill is brought to Parliament.
“We will have to see what happens in Parliament. Pakatan will not be the only ones affected. Barisan Nasional will also be affected,” he said.
He added that Barisan's component parties, MCA and Gerakan, have objected to the implementation of hudud laws.
On Wednesday, Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Yaakob had tabled amendments to the enactment.
The proposed amendments to seven key criminal offences sought more rotan lashes for apostasy, illicit sexual intercourse, alcohol consumption, making unproven accusations of illicit sex, theft and robbery, causing hurt and murder.
For the law to be enforceable in Kelantan, the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 and Article 76A(1) of the Federal Constitution have to be amended.
PAS is expected to do this through two Private Members’ Bills to be tabled in Parliament this year.
Should the Bills be tabled in Parliament, the decision will rest on 222 members of Parliament, of whom 133 are from Barisan and a combined 89 are from DAP, PKR and PAS.
Ibrahim Suffian of the Merdeka Center said that the Opposition coalition does not seem to be heading towards a break up yet although the party was under a lot of stress.
“It’s an existing law and has to go to Parliament and get the support of Umno.
"It’s unlikely that will happen or take place anytime soon,” he said, adding that the response from DAP has been “measured” so far.
Assoc Prof Sivamurugan Pandian of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), however, sees this as the cracking point of the coalition as hudud laws were not in the common policy framework of Pakatan.
Several DAP leaders had slammed PAS for going ahead with the tabling of the enactment with Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh saying that it might lead to Pakatan’s break up.
“PAS is clear in protecting the party’s political ideology, while DAP has been against it since day one,” added Sivamurugan.
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