KUALA LUMPUR: If MCA President Liow Tiong Lai was serious about opposing the hudud Bill, he must not give ambiguous or confusing and wrong messages to the Prime Minister, said Seputeh MP Teresa Kok in a statement.
The immediate and minimum action that Liow should do, added Kok, was to announce MCA’s total boycott of the two upcoming parliamentary by-elections. “MCA should show that it’s consistent and serious in opposing PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang’s Private Member’s Bill on hudud.”
Kok was taking the position, after more than a week of endless statements by MCA on hudud, that the party lacks consistency and seriousness in opposing the hudud Bill. She reiterated that MCA could redeem itself in the eyes of the public, on hudud, by boycotting the by-elections in Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar.
She pointed out that MCA Secretary-General Ong Ka Chuan revealed two days ago that the Hadi Bill was raised during an informal discussion in Cabinet last month. “The meeting took a unanimous decision to reject the Hadi Bill.”
Kok urged MCA to call for Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Azalina Othman Said, to be disciplined for ignoring the Cabinet’s authority by introducing the Motion on the Hadi Bill in Parliament. “The Cabinet is where government policies are collectively made on consensus basis.”
“No one, not even the Prime Minister or his deputy, can unilaterally and singularly decide on a policy.”
Kok, continuing, demanded that MCA and related parties stop making “heroic statements” on hudud. “MCA should instead demand that Azalina be sacked from the Cabinet and removed from government.”
MCA leaders have been making all sorts of heroic statements, attacking the hudud Bill and even whacking DAP, noted Kok. “However, they are not asking for tough action against Azalina.”
The DAP lawmaker implied that MCA ministers may be afraid of going after Azalina because of whoever gave her the green light to prioritize the Hadi Bill in Parliament.
Already, said Kok, Liow has given an assurance that the Hadi Bill will not affect Chinese votes for BN in Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar. “Chinese votes cannot be going to BN, in the two by-elections — given the community’s opposition to the hudud Bill,” said Kok.