PETALING JAYA: DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang is proposing the “Pensiangan Formula” to address the “political and constitutional stalemate” arising from the proposed amendments to the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act.
In a statement, Gelang Patah MP Lim, said the idea of the “Pensiangan Formula” came to him during a recent visit to Pensiangan, Sabah, in the wake of a statement by Umno Supreme Council Member Jamil Khir Baharom that the private member’s bill to amend the act enabled the government to circumvent due constitutional process.
This process included obtaining the consensus of all state governments, the National Islamic Council and the Rulers’ Conference.
This statement has since been seen by some, including Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders, as an admission of a political conspiracy.
Lim said the “Pensiangan Formula” would require the leaders and ministers of the other 13 BN component parties to call for emergency meetings of BN Supreme Council and the Cabinet to reach a two-point consensus.
The first consensus, Lim said, would be that the government refrain from taking over the private member’s bill on the amendments.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is also Umno president, said that the government would take over the bill, which is scheduled for its second reading in the next parliament sitting, in March.
“Secondly, an all-party Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) to study and make proposals on how to strengthen inter-religious relations in Malaysia based on the Malaysian Constitution, Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) and Rukunegara should be formed,” said Lim.
Lim added this all-party PSC should study all proposals relating to religion, including the private member’s bill motion tabled by PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang.
“But do the ministers and leaders of the other 13 BN component parties have the courage of conviction and political principle to requisition for an emergency meeting of the BN to reach a two-point to address the political and constitutional stalemate caused by UMNO’s surreptitious support for Hadi’s private member’s bill motion?
“Malaysians will get the answers to these questions soon enough,” said Lim.