By Hafidz Baharom
KUALA LUMPUR, July 30 — Lim Guan Eng slammed MCA and Gerakan leaders today for constantly harping on the DAP’s position on hudud, questioning why the two Barisan Nasional (BN) parties did not speak up about those in Umno who also support the introduction of the Islamic criminal punishment.
The DAP secretary-general’s remarks come after an onslaught of attacks by the MCA and Gerakan against the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) party over PAS’s insistence of eventually introducing hudud.
“MCA and Gerakan continue their irresponsible, dishonest and untruthful attacks on DAP’s support for PAS hudud laws and establishing an Islamic state as well as launch personal attacks that show their desperation to revive lost popular support.
“Both MCA and Gerakan are like a ‘culprit hurling the accusation first’ by trying to hide their failure to demand action against Umno leaders’ support for hudud to be imposed, even on non-Muslims,” Lim (picture) said in a statement.
He said the DAP had never supported the implementation of an Islamic state in Malaysia nor the imposition of hudud law by PAS, adding that this was a consistent position of the party.
“Despite these differences, both DAP and PAS have a common stand in fighting corruption and abuse of power as well as establishing integrity in leadership, focusing on competency, accountability and transparency,” he added.
Lim also said PR parties had agreed that they should co-operate on common principles instead of allowing differences to divide them.
“For this reason both DAP and PAS have signed a ‘common policy’ that sets out the framework of what unites us and the nation-building policy of a future PR federal government.
“Clearly the ‘common policy’ makes no mention of implementing an Islamic state or hudud laws in any future PR federal government,” he said.
“I do not see top Gerakan leaders attacking Umno leaders nor MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek using the same remarks of ‘political eunuchs’ on Umno.
“Why has MCA nor Gerakan not left BN because of Umno leaders’ open support for hudud for all?” he asked.
Lim said it was Umno that banned the use of the word “Allah” on Malay-language Christian bibles, widely used in Sabah and Sarawak.
“In contrast, PAS takes the moderate approach of allowing Christians to use the word ‘Allah’ as is practised in the Middle East and Indonesia,” he said.