Saifuddin says the PKR disciplinary board will not bend to the will of Zulkifli. - Picture by Jack Ooi
KUALA LUMPUR, March 4 — PKR’s disciplinary board will not bend to the will of Kulim-Bandar Bharu MP Zulkifli Noordin’s demand for an all-Muslim panel and is expected to deliberate on his hearing despite today’s walkout, party secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution said today.
Saifuddin told The Malaysian Insider this evening that there was nothing wrong or disrespectful with the decision to maintain the present panel members instead of replacing them with only Muslim members.
Zulkifli had made the request for an all-Muslim panel in view of the fact that he was to answer to disciplinary charges involving his actions in the “Allah” row.
“He has to understand. He is not being tried for his stand on the word “Allah”. He is being tried for his act of lodging a police report against a fellow Pakatan Rakyat MP despite the party’s gag order on the matter,” Saifuddin said.
He added that the decision to reject Zulkifli’s request which was made by the party’s disciplinary committee would remain the same.
“We are trying him on his action of defying a party order, not about his stand. It is very different. That is why there is no need for there to be an all-Muslim panel,” said Saifuddin.
He added that Zulkifli was welcome to his beliefs on the “Allah” matter, whether or not it was in conflict with the party’s view. “But when you disregard a party order and lodge a report against a fellow MP, disciplinary action will have to be taken,” he said.
Zulkifli had lodged a report against Shah Alam PAS MP Khalid Samad over his disagreement in the issue. Saifuddin acknowledged that he had received a fourth letter from Zulkifli today, containing the same eight demands that the latter had made in view of his disciplinary hearing. He noted however that the decision would remain the same.
“The board will make their recommendations (of disciplinary actions) to the party’s supreme council for endorsement. This means that Zulkifli will have to make up his mind whether to concede to the board’s decisions, even though it was made by non-Muslim members, or leave the party.”
The maverick politician today staged a walkout when he was informed that his demands had not been met and the same panel who sat on Monday would be handling his case. Zulkifli had expressed disappointment that the panel comprised of only one Muslim member while the others were two Christian activists and one Hindu.
“I mean no disrespect to the members of the board but I refuse to recognise them for it is inappropriate for them to be passing judgement on a religion that they themselves do not understand.
“On this issue, I will not compromise. Who better to judge me then another fellow Muslim? I were to be punished by another Muslim for my involvement in this matter, I can accept it.
“Justice requires for one to be tried by one’s own peers. Justice must not only be done, it must also be seen to be done,” he said in a press conference after the hearing.
Zulkifli is also facing the board for his open criticism of Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng. He is expected to leave PKR and join former colleagues Datuk Seri Zahrain Hashim, Tan Tee Beng and Mohsin Fadzli Samsuri, who defected recently citing loss in the party’s leadership.
Zulkifli had told pressmen today that “as of now” he had no plans to quit and wanted to stay on to defend himself.
He noted that the board had a deadline to make a decisiob by next Tuesday on the matter. “Then I will decide,” he said, adding that if his demands were not met, it meant that the party had no respect for the Islamic religion.
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