SHAH ALAM, 8 May: The Deputy Chief Minister of Kelantan, Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah, stressed that PAS will never join Barisan Nasional (BN) despite facing tremendous opposition in opinion from Pakatan Rakyat (PR) allies following the implementation of the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Enactment 1993.
The assertion was made in reply to questions by the moderator of the discourse programme organised by the Karangkraf Group, ‘Hudud: Are We Ready’, Dr Maszlee Malik.
“PAS will not join BN. On the issue of Hudud, PAS is not working with Umno to join them, instead the situation at the moment indicates that the party, as the core of BN, holds the reins of the country’s government.
“We need cooperation from Umno because they hold the reins of power as the core party in BN, that is the reason.
“If we are ruling Malaysian, we do not expect support from Umno. When Umno stated their stand to be prepared in giving way, we took the opportunity, however there is no hidden intent or agenda,” he said.
He also acknowledged that the implementation of the Hudud law has stringent requirements, but the Kelantan PAS Government is ready in terms of mentality and infrastructure.
“Confusion in assuming the implementation is PAS Hudud is a great confusion because it is law in reference to the Quran and Sunnah of the Prophet.
“If it is Umno that implements it, they too refer to the Quran and Sunnah. We cannot say that it is a PAS or Umno Hudud,” he said.
At the same time, Mohd Amar also slammed allegations by some who said that the Kelantan Government is corrupt in the issue of timber and refutes the matter based on findings by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
He said that the Kelantan Government will open an investigation for 24 hours a day since the reign of Dato’ Bentara Setia Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat on the issue of timber, but until now, there is no conclusive evidence on the matter.
“There is no timber embezzlement. Everyone can criticise, but do not slander,” he said.