DAP Prepared To Cooperate With PAS And PKR

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 11 (Bernama) -- DAP chairman Karpal Singh said today the party is prepared to cooperate with PAS and Pakatan Rakyat on condition that both PAS and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) do not insist on the introduction of hudud laws.
"It has been said in politics there are no permanent enemies or friends, but the need to have permanent principles must remain sacrosanct for any political party worth its name to be acceptable to the rakyat," he said in a statement, here.
Karpal also called upon PAS and PKR to cease from further clamouring for the impossible and accept that hudud laws had no place in the statute books.
"The peace and harmony among the races of different faiths in the country should not be threatened by attempts to emasculate the Federal Constitution," he said.
Yesterday, PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said if the Muslims wanted to have their own Islamic laws, there was no need for the Christians to be unhappy while PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang said hudud laws would be for Muslims while non-Muslims could opt to be tried by the hudud or civil law.
Karpal said: "This argument is illogical. What would happen if there are two co-accused, a Muslim and a non-Muslim with the Muslim opting for hudud law and the non-Muslim for civil law? How would the courts get out of this dilemma?"
He said the point which should not be missed, which had been missed by both Anwar and Hadi was that the Federal Constitution provided for one uniform law, namely, civil law for both Muslims and Non-Muslims across the board.
"The call by both PAS and PKR to have hudud laws applicable to Muslims with an option given to non-Muslims to choose between hudud law and civil law would, and must, mean the introduction of an Islamic state which would mean destruction of the basic structure of the Constitution," he said.
Karpal said the Federal Constitution could only be amended through a two-third majority in Parliament.
"An amendment cannot include destruction of the basic structure of the Constitution. That would go beyond amendment," he added.


tunku : i thought they are one under pakatan rakyat and now karpal is saying that dap is prepared to cooperate with pas and pkr if they do not insist on the introduction of hudud laws.so all these while they have been fooling each other.this so called pakatan rakyat can't even agree on common principle, how can they cooperate?