SPDP: Stop knee-jerk reaction to Hadi’s bill

MIRI: The Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) wants all parties not to jump to conclusions over the proposed amendment to enhance the shariah courts’ jurisdiction, tabled in the Dewan Rakyat recently.

SPDP President Tiong King Sing said the Private Member’s Bill to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act, tabled by Marang MP and PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang on May 26, should not be a subject of baseless speculations without giving Hadi the chance to give detailed explanation on the proposed amendments.

“He (Hadi) still needs to table the bill for further readings.

“If the members in the house find the amendments are against the interests of the Muslims or it is imposed on non-Muslims, definitely the house will not allow the bill to be passed,” he said in a statement here today.

Tiong said as long as the bill fell within the ambit of the country’s Constitution, then it should be given the right to be heard and debated in the Dewan Rakyat before being approved or rejected.

As for the allegation that Umno supported hudud implementation by giving Hadi’s proposal the green light, he dismissed such accusations as the amendment had nothing to do with hudud.

“I don’t think Umno is quietly working together with PAS to support hudud,” he added.

So far, SPDP, one of the state BN component parties, is the only multiracial BN component party that has yet to reject the proposed amendment despite four BN parties — namely MCA, MIC, SUPP and Gerakan — having rejected it.

In a joint statement recently, the four leaders from the parties, namely MCA President Liow Tiong Lai, MIC President Dr S Subramaniam, SUPP Deputy President Richard Riot and Gerakan President Mah Siew Keong, claimed that if the bill was passed it would be against the Federal Constitution.

– BERNAMA

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