Hatta Ramli mum on 'divorce' oath with PAS

PETALING JAYA: Kuala Krai MP Dr Hatta Ramli will not comment on a party oath that he and his wife would be divorced in the event he leaves PAS.

Dr Hatta was said to have taken the oath in the 2013 general election. The oath, known as bai'ah, has been practised by PAS since the 2004 general election as a way to deter elected representatives from absconding.

"It is not right for me to say anything now. I'm afraid it will be misinterpreted," Dr Hatta told The Star Online Thursday.

Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Yakob had told Dr Hatta to refer to the Kelantan Syariah Court on the "talak tiga" (immediate oath) condition which he allegedly took.

Ahmad, the PAS deputy spiritual leader, said the oath took effect when Dr Hatta joined Gerakan Harapan Baru (GHB), a splinter group formed by PAS senior leaders who lost in the June party polls. This means Dr Hatta's marriage is considered void.

Bai'ah is an oath of allegiance to a leader and is known to have been practised during the times of Prophet Muhammad. 

Critics have said the conditions of the oath was a form of political obsession.

In another development, Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad said that he and Kota Raja MP Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud would host a dinner "to make up" for breaking oath after both joined GHB.

''We will be serving food to the poor starting from 8pm at Dewan Merbau in Seksyen 17 here tomorrow (Sept 4). 

''We welcome members from the underprivileged community around Klang and Shah Alam,'' he said adding that nasi beriyani with mutton would be served.

Both leaders have in the past refused to say what they had pledged in taking the oath.

GHB has set up a new political party, Parti Amanah Negara that will be registered to the Registrar of Societies (RoS).

They hope to launch it on Sept 16.