KIT SIANG’S ‘SAVE MALAYSIA UNITY-GOVERNMENT’: IS HE CALLING THE SHOTS?

Many Umno members, and quite a number of PAS members as well, will not support the implementation of Hudud in Malaysia. However, to form an anti-Hudud unity-government would be exceeding the boundaries that even liberal and moderate Muslims would be prepared to venture.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Lim Kit Siang has already decided whom he wants as the new Chief Minister of Sabah once his proposal for a new political coalition, ‘Save Malaysia Unity-Government’, to replace Barisan Nasional as the ruling government takes off. The two new names he proposed are Hajiji Noor and Masidi Manjum, or maybe even the return of Joseph Pairin Kitingan or Salleh Said Keruak.

Kit Siang appears to be calling the shots and is making announcement after announcement even though Barisan Nasional has not yet said yes to his proposal. Kit Siang is giving the impression that if the ‘Save Malaysia Unity- Government’ happens he will decide what they do, even down to who should become the new Sabah Chief Minister.

Will Kit Siang then tell us whom he wants as the new Chief Minister of Sarawak plus the new Menteri Besar of Selangor and all the other states? Is Azmin Ali acceptable to Kit Siang or does he want Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail to take over?

We know that DAP did not agree to Azmin and they blame PAS for this. Hence the PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang was labelled as a traitor, Trojan horse, back-stabber, and so on.

That would be even more interesting because the Kajang Move, the sacking of Khalid Ibrahim, and his replacement with Azmin Ali are actually the core issues in the PAS-PKR-DAP quarrel, which eventually spread to the Hudud issue as well.

The only reason PAS is unilaterally pushing for Hudud in Kelantan is because PKR unilaterally pushed for the Kajang Move in Selangor. In fact, PKR got only 26 votes from the 56 seats in Selangor while PAS got 44 votes from the 44 seats in Kelantan, which is 100%.

Hence what PAS is doing in Kelantan is legitimate while what PKR is doing in Selangor is not. And that was why HRH the Sultan of Selangor rejected PKR’s and DAP’s proposal to appoint Dr Wan Azizah as the new Menteri Besar and appointed Azmin instead.

Kit Siang is pushing for a new ruling coalition to counter the move by PAS that plans to table the Sharia amendment bill in Parliament. He has made this very clear. Will this not send a message to Malaysians that the new unity-government is an anti-Hudud coalition?

Many Umno members, and quite a number of PAS members as well, will not support the implementation of Hudud in Malaysia. However, to form an anti-Hudud unity-government would be exceeding the boundaries that even liberal and moderate Muslims would be prepared to venture.