Uneasiness, acceptance and ignorance of Hadi’s bill

SUNGAI BESAR: Many Chinese voters here are rejecting PAS leader Abdul Hadi Awang’s private member’s bill to strengthen syariah laws in Kelantan.

Based on interviews carried out by FMT, the Chinese community here seem to disagree with the bill, while at the same time many people in both the Malay and Chinese communities seem unaware of the contents of the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 or Act 355.

The act, a federal law, provides powers for syariah courts to handle criminal cases.

Hadi proposes to amend Act 355 to extend the powers of the syariah courts so that harsher Islamic criminal penalties, or hudud, can be enforced in Kelantan under state law.

Act 355 only allows syariah courts to mete out punishments limited to RM3,000 maximum fines, five years’ jail and six strokes of caning.

However, FMT found that many in the Malay and Chinese communities were still not aware of the contents of Act 355 and the implications of an amendment.

One voter, Quay Wee Sin, 26, said she does not understand Hadi’s bill but rejects it.

“If anyone steals, police can catch them and throw them behind bars. There is no need to chop hands off,” she said in reference to hudud laws.

Another voter, Wee Sin, said he was keeping track of political developments between Barisan Nasional and Parti Amanah Negara. “I feel BN dan Amanah are both good,” said Wee Sin, a fire brigade volunteer.

Another voter, Lee Low Chuan, 34, said that although hudud law only applied to Muslims, she was concerned about the implementation.

Lee and her other colleagues in the fishing community area hope that political parties will continue to pressure the Federal Government to stop the act from being implemented.

However, another fisherman, Low Chuan, admitted that they need allocations from the government to run their business.

Most of the Malay voters interviewed said they wanted Act 355 to be implemented.

Mohd Faizal Kamaruddin, 41 said he agrees with the implementation of the act and urged Muslims not to oppose it. “We believe every law in Islam is good for its followers,” he added.

After six days of campaigning at his area, he said he liked both BN and Amanah.

“Amanah is a new party, its flag is orange in colour, of course we want to know more about them. BN is a big party. A lot of them ‘turun padang’ for interaction too,” he explained .

Security guards, Abdul Halim Mustafa, 52, and Mohamad Kamal Abdul Aziz, 49, both agreed with the act, although they did not understand Act 355 in detail. They feel there is no reason to oppose an Islamic law.

Abdullah Daud, 79, said he was not aware about the act and the proposed amendment on hudud.

Polling will be held on June 18 to fill the vacancy created by the death of the MP, Noriah Kasnon, in a helicopter crash in Sarawak in May.