But the former premier is vague if he objected to MCA's move to exploit the issue to gain Chinese votes.
PETALING JAYA: Dr Mahathir Mohamad said he detested the ongoing politicisation of the hudud debate but made no clear position on MCA’s move to exploit the issue to win the Chinese votes.
“I am disappointed that hudud is being used for the gains of certain quarters… the issue is not a religious one but a political one,” the former premier told reporters here today.
“I am against hudud being used as a political issue,” added the nation’s longest serving PM whose administration was known for its promotion of moderate Islam and anti-hudud stand.
The longstanding controversy over the Islamic penal law resurfaced when the ruling coalition’s Chinese component party, MCA, at its annual general assembly last weekend played on the issue apparently aimed at shoring up support from the community.
MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek had said that a vote for rival DAP would mean support for PAS’ push for hudud to be implemented if the federal opposition bloc wins the general election.
Chua had also said that PAS condoned the rape of non-Muslims.
PAS and DAP are allies in Pakatan Rakyat but the two clash ideologically with one pushing for an Islamic state and the other being staunch secularists.
To date the hudud issue had not been resolved and political rivals have used the debacle to drive a deeper wedge between the two but PKR, the leading moderates in Pakatan, have so far been successful in containing the conflict.
PAS leaders said Chua’s comments were an insult to Islam and that MCA, with drastic drop in Chinese support, had played the religious card to stay relevant.
Malaysia a Muslim country
The Chinese form the second biggest electorate next to the Malays in Malaysia. Its support for the ruling
coalition had fast dwindled since the landmark polls in 2008 with analysts saying the worse is yet to come for MCA.
Mahathir too admitted that MCA had tried to use the hudud issue to scare the Chinese from voting DAP.
Meanwhile, the former prime minister weighed in on the Islamic state debate and said that Malaysia is by definition a Muslim country despite the absence of any mention of it in the Federal Constitution.
“It is not stated in the constitution but by definition we are a Muslim country and many Muslim countries out there see us as a Muslim-majority country.
“We don’t care if they want to make this a political issue or not,” he said.
The sensitive debate over the country’s status as a secular or Islamic country again made headlines just ahead of key polls when a minister said Malaysia is not a secular state, arguing that there is no mention of the term “secular” in the constitution.
His statement drew a huge debate over the unresolved issue that is often exploited by both sides of the political divide to sway the conservative majority Malay-Muslims.
PETALING JAYA: Dr Mahathir Mohamad said he detested the ongoing politicisation of the hudud debate but made no clear position on MCA’s move to exploit the issue to win the Chinese votes.“I am disappointed that hudud is being used for the gains of certain quarters… the issue is not a religious one but a political one,” the former premier told reporters here today.
“I am against hudud being used as a political issue,” added the nation’s longest serving PM whose administration was known for its promotion of moderate Islam and anti-hudud stand.
The longstanding controversy over the Islamic penal law resurfaced when the ruling coalition’s Chinese component party, MCA, at its annual general assembly last weekend played on the issue apparently aimed at shoring up support from the community.
MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek had said that a vote for rival DAP would mean support for PAS’ push for hudud to be implemented if the federal opposition bloc wins the general election.
Chua had also said that PAS condoned the rape of non-Muslims.
PAS and DAP are allies in Pakatan Rakyat but the two clash ideologically with one pushing for an Islamic state and the other being staunch secularists.
To date the hudud issue had not been resolved and political rivals have used the debacle to drive a deeper wedge between the two but PKR, the leading moderates in Pakatan, have so far been successful in containing the conflict.
PAS leaders said Chua’s comments were an insult to Islam and that MCA, with drastic drop in Chinese support, had played the religious card to stay relevant.
Malaysia a Muslim country
The Chinese form the second biggest electorate next to the Malays in Malaysia. Its support for the ruling
coalition had fast dwindled since the landmark polls in 2008 with analysts saying the worse is yet to come for MCA.
Mahathir too admitted that MCA had tried to use the hudud issue to scare the Chinese from voting DAP.
Meanwhile, the former prime minister weighed in on the Islamic state debate and said that Malaysia is by definition a Muslim country despite the absence of any mention of it in the Federal Constitution.
“It is not stated in the constitution but by definition we are a Muslim country and many Muslim countries out there see us as a Muslim-majority country.
“We don’t care if they want to make this a political issue or not,” he said.
The sensitive debate over the country’s status as a secular or Islamic country again made headlines just ahead of key polls when a minister said Malaysia is not a secular state, arguing that there is no mention of the term “secular” in the constitution.
His statement drew a huge debate over the unresolved issue that is often exploited by both sides of the political divide to sway the conservative majority Malay-Muslims.
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