MCA and Gerakan should reject cabinet posts if they are truly against hudud
My article was earlier published in TheAntDaily.com on 14/6/2014
MCA has decided to accept cabinet positions after its delegates voted to allow the party to rejoin the Umno-dominated BN government, while Gerakan was promised a ministerial position if the party president was voted back into Parliament in the recent Teluk Intan by-election.
Well, the wishes of MCA and Gerakan have finally come through. The two BN component parties will once again enjoy their government privileges after a long absence.
However, the leaders of MCA and Gerakan should be reminded that this is no honeymoon for them. People are still watching the way politics has been played by these two parties which were almost wiped out in the last two general elections. The people still see both MCA and Gerakan as being too dependent on the powerful and dominant Umno in the BN coalition.
It has been noted that when the opposition Islamist party PAS made an attempt to table a private bill in Parliament to pave the way for the implementation of hudud in the PAS-ruled Kelantan, both MCA and Gerakan had mounted their strongest ever campaign against PAS’ hudud and its secular ally, DAP.
Leaders of MCA and Gerakan had also continuously condemned DAP for not being “strong” enough in its opposition to PAS’ plan to table the hudud bill in Parliament, which contributed to DAP’s defeat in the Teluk Intan by-election.
Well, PAS has deferred the tabling of its hudud bill following widespread public outcry over its hudud initiative, but it is an open secret that Umno has been adamant in pursuing the hudud implementation at the expense of PAS.
Apart from this, Putrajaya has also established a hudud technical committee, led by the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim), to further discuss the most effective mechanism in getting the hudud laws implemented in the future.
The hudud technical committee was mooted by deputy prime minister and Umno deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who had indicated that it should comprise experts on hudud law from Jakim, PAS, state religious authorities and overseas Islamic scholars.
The obvious question here is why didn’t MCA and Gerakan voice their opposition to Umno’s plan to revive the hudud bill for implementation? The Umno-led Perlis state government too had voiced its interest to implement hudud in the tiny state, while Selangor Umno is also trying to table a motion on hudud bill in the current sitting of the state legislative assembly.
So, why is MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai and Gerakan president Datuk Mah Siew Keong keeping so quiet on Umno’s hudud plan? Isn’t it strange that these two BN component parties which have been fiercely opposing the hudud law from the outset are now so deaf and dumb? Are they too timid to oppose their “big brother” Umno because they are afraid that their cabinet positions may be withdrawn if they speak up?
Recently, Gerakan secretary-general and Simpang Renggam MP Liang Teck Meng had also alleged that PAS and DAP had conspired to “trap” MCA and Gerakan on the hudud matter. Liang later made another statement calling on Umno and PAS to fully support hudud.
Then, what about MCA and Gerakan? Didn’t these two BN component parties realise that they too are being trapped by Umno in the hudud game? Why are both MCA and Gerakan not making their stand against hudud now? Where is their consistency in their opposition to the hudud law?
It looks like MCA and Gerakan are now endorsing Umno’s “version” of hudud while at the same time opposing the PAS-sponsored hudud bill just because it did not come from a BN component party. Funny, isn’t it? Or are all these merely a political play to damage the reputation of PAS and DAP?
Both Liow and Mah must accept the fact that PAS alone would not be able to get the hudud bill passed in Parliament because the Islamist party did not have the required numbers on its own.
Liow and Mah should wake up now after being systematically trapped and made use of by Umno. The ball is now in the court of both the MCA and Gerakan presidents. It is now up to both of them whether they would kick or hug the ball for Umno.
MCA has decided to accept cabinet positions after its delegates voted to allow the party to rejoin the Umno-dominated BN government, while Gerakan was promised a ministerial position if the party president was voted back into Parliament in the recent Teluk Intan by-election.
Well, the wishes of MCA and Gerakan have finally come through. The two BN component parties will once again enjoy their government privileges after a long absence.
However, the leaders of MCA and Gerakan should be reminded that this is no honeymoon for them. People are still watching the way politics has been played by these two parties which were almost wiped out in the last two general elections. The people still see both MCA and Gerakan as being too dependent on the powerful and dominant Umno in the BN coalition.
It has been noted that when the opposition Islamist party PAS made an attempt to table a private bill in Parliament to pave the way for the implementation of hudud in the PAS-ruled Kelantan, both MCA and Gerakan had mounted their strongest ever campaign against PAS’ hudud and its secular ally, DAP.
Leaders of MCA and Gerakan had also continuously condemned DAP for not being “strong” enough in its opposition to PAS’ plan to table the hudud bill in Parliament, which contributed to DAP’s defeat in the Teluk Intan by-election.
Well, PAS has deferred the tabling of its hudud bill following widespread public outcry over its hudud initiative, but it is an open secret that Umno has been adamant in pursuing the hudud implementation at the expense of PAS.
Apart from this, Putrajaya has also established a hudud technical committee, led by the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim), to further discuss the most effective mechanism in getting the hudud laws implemented in the future.
The hudud technical committee was mooted by deputy prime minister and Umno deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who had indicated that it should comprise experts on hudud law from Jakim, PAS, state religious authorities and overseas Islamic scholars.
The obvious question here is why didn’t MCA and Gerakan voice their opposition to Umno’s plan to revive the hudud bill for implementation? The Umno-led Perlis state government too had voiced its interest to implement hudud in the tiny state, while Selangor Umno is also trying to table a motion on hudud bill in the current sitting of the state legislative assembly.
So, why is MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai and Gerakan president Datuk Mah Siew Keong keeping so quiet on Umno’s hudud plan? Isn’t it strange that these two BN component parties which have been fiercely opposing the hudud law from the outset are now so deaf and dumb? Are they too timid to oppose their “big brother” Umno because they are afraid that their cabinet positions may be withdrawn if they speak up?
Recently, Gerakan secretary-general and Simpang Renggam MP Liang Teck Meng had also alleged that PAS and DAP had conspired to “trap” MCA and Gerakan on the hudud matter. Liang later made another statement calling on Umno and PAS to fully support hudud.
Then, what about MCA and Gerakan? Didn’t these two BN component parties realise that they too are being trapped by Umno in the hudud game? Why are both MCA and Gerakan not making their stand against hudud now? Where is their consistency in their opposition to the hudud law?
It looks like MCA and Gerakan are now endorsing Umno’s “version” of hudud while at the same time opposing the PAS-sponsored hudud bill just because it did not come from a BN component party. Funny, isn’t it? Or are all these merely a political play to damage the reputation of PAS and DAP?
Both Liow and Mah must accept the fact that PAS alone would not be able to get the hudud bill passed in Parliament because the Islamist party did not have the required numbers on its own.
Liow and Mah should wake up now after being systematically trapped and made use of by Umno. The ball is now in the court of both the MCA and Gerakan presidents. It is now up to both of them whether they would kick or hug the ball for Umno.
