The cat is out of the bag. UMNO leaders were determined right from beginning to outfox the other 13 Barisan Nasional component parties on Hadi’s private member’s bill and the strategy of how UMNO is going to support Hadi’s private members bill was revealed by two UMNO leaders yesterday.
The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Jamil Kamil Khir Bahrom said Hadi’s Private Member’s Bill to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act (Act 355) enabled the government to circumvent the due constitutional process, as requiring consensus from all states, the National Islamic Council and the Rulers’ Conference.
Jamil explained: “You can’t bring it to the Rulers Conference if you don’t have consensus from 14 states, but a private member’s bill requires only one state or one person to table it.”
Jamil made this shocking admission at the Umno Overseas Club Alumni annual general meeting in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.Jamil said that when Hadi’s private member’s bill motion moves to the second reading stage, it would be taken over by the government and read out by him.
What Jamil did not mention was that this UMNO strategy to support Hadi’s private member’s bill not only tried to circumvent the constitutional process to secure the consensus from the 14 states and the support of the National Islamic Council and the Rulers’ Conference, it was also a ploy to circumvent the Barisan Nasional consensus of all the 14 BN component parties for any policy or measure to be adopted in the name of Barisan Nasional Government.
This ploy to circumvent the Barisan Nasional consensus and for the UMNO leadership to outfox the leaders and Ministers from the other 13 Barisan Nasional component parties – whether MCA, Gerakan, MIC or the Sabah and Sarawak component parties of Barisan Nasional – was confirmed by another UMNO leader, the Deputy Minister for International Trade and Industry, Datuk Ahmad Maslan, at the same function.
Ahmad Maslan said BN component parties will not be able to object against amendments to the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act (Act 355) once the relevant bill is taken over by the Federal Government as BN component parties are compelled to support the bill as part of the ruling coalition.
He said: “Before this we hear that MCA didn’t like (the planned amendments) to Act 355. MIC objected, and Gerakan objected too.
“When we asked them why they opposed, they answered ‘How can we not? (The bill) was brought by (PAS president Abdul) Hadi (Awang)’.”
Ahmad admitted the ulterior objective of UMNO’s support for Hadi’s private member’s bill motion was to cement UMNO’s “unity” with PAS!
I agree with former Law Minister, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim that Jamil is wrong and that whether the bill is moved by Hadi or Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, the requirements are the same – that the consensus of the states as well as the consent of the Malay Rulers are necessary prerequisites before such a bill can be passed by Parliament into law, as Islamic laws are under the purview of the states and the Malay Rulers.
But what should equally be a cause for consternation is the perfidy of certain UMNO leaders who have no qualms in reneging and destroying the much-vaunted principle of Barisan Nasional consensus which proved that Barisan Nasional is a coalition of equals and not a coalition of UMNO hegemony!
The Barisan Nasional is facing its worst crisis since its formation in 1973 – as the Barisan Nasional “consensus” principle is being smashed into smithereens by UMNO for Hadi’s private member’s bill motion, despite overwhelming opposition by the majority of the other BN component parties.
In this worst Barisan Nasional crisis in 43 years, what should the leaders of the other Barisan Nasional component parties do?
I advise all of them to cancel their end-of-year holidays overseas and to requisition an emergency meeting of the Barisan Nasional Supreme Council to establish once-and-for-all whether the UMNO leadership has decided to smash the BN consensus principle into smithereens by unilaterally and arbitrarily providing UMNO/BN government support to Hadi’s private member’s bill in the March Parliament.
#1 by Bigjoe on Monday, 19 December 2016 - 5:22 pm
The Consensus principle has been pretense only for a long time already, smashing the pretense is not a big leap. In Animal Farm, some animals are more special than other animal and then some pigs are more special than other pigs. It’s been expected..
The real issue is new pretense UMNO – PAS is not in alliance. PAS need an electoral pact and Najib need PAS to divide the opposition. It’s time to dig harder for the evidence. There has to be evidence. Najib and Hadi’s PAS are really bad at hiding their scandals.
#2 by worldpress on Monday, 19 December 2016 - 10:01 pm
That law 99% against Federal Constitution!
Non-Mulsim can not testify in that court, it need 4 eye-witness all must be Muslim, and even Muslim woman can not testify as witness.
Those person are planning destroying our country peace harmony and fairness. They wanted to divide the people further into two groups. And protected their group from non-muslim can not testify in their court!
#3 by worldpress on Monday, 19 December 2016 - 10:13 pm
With so many are poor, and country world fame of CORRUPTION, so many corrupted!
This country 99% not suitable to consider any part of it to implement!
#4 by Bigjoe on Tuesday, 20 December 2016 - 8:41 am
Every definition of Syariah says its “derived from….Quran and Hadith”..Derived is the key word. THE CODES ARE NOT DEVINE. Debate about Syariah is NOT ABOUT INSULTING ISLAM, IT IS A CHALLENGE TO ITS PAST, ITS HISTORY but not the religion itself. The exact codes that are from Mohd, its SIMPLISTIC – too few and nothing says they cannot be re-intepreted.
Syariah is the way, NOT just codes. Those who do not want to take a larger view are just lazy, taking the easy way out, its easy to stick to the past rather than challenge it.
#5 by good coolie on Tuesday, 20 December 2016 - 1:13 pm
Are we confused about the consensus politics of Barisan? If we are, are we must ask Dr. M Sifu who can throw some light on to our ignorant heads. He seems, repeat seems, to have converted to truth.