PAS raises hudud issue as political ploy: Muhyiddin

(Bernama) -- The move by PAS to raise issues on the implementation of the 'hudud' law is a political ploy to regain the people's support, especially the Muslim voters, said Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

The Deputy Prime Minister said PAS realised that the support of Malay voters for the party had been badly affected following its decision not to set up an Islamic state and instead opting for a Welfare State.

"It is a political ploy by PAS because it notices that support for the party has been badly affected lately. Some of its supporters are not happy with the party," he said after attending a gathering with the people at the grounds of Masjid Jamek Kampung Sungai Bunyi, here today.

Muhyiddin, who is also Umno deputy president and the Education Minister, said PAS must explain to the people instead of deceiving them by claiming that it would not implement the hudud law.

He was commenting on the statement by the Opposition Pact Leadership Council yesterday that they would not implement the hudud law as proposed by PAS because this was not in line with their joint policy, Federal Constitution and the Orange Book agenda.

Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the opposition pact respected the PAS stand on this matter but at the same time, it accepted the differing stand of the DAP in opposing its implementation.

Muhyiddin said PAS realised that if it insisted on implementing the hudud law, it would face strong opposition from component parties of the pact such as the DAP and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).

"PAS should explain and should not deceive the people by saying it won't implement (hudud law) because it knows that if it insists on implementing (the hudud), it will face opposition from the component parties, DAP and PKR," he said.

Earlier in his speech at the gathering, Muhyiddin said a new approach was needed by the government in administering and bringing development to the country in view of the country's demographic composition where 60 per cent of the population were young people.

"The young generation have their own mindset that is different and they also realise that they have their own rights. With the existence of the Facebook, Twitter and Internet, the style of administering the country now is different," he said.

Muhyiddin also announced an allocation of RM2 million for the construction of a new mosque for Kampung Sungai Bunyi.