The DAP secretary-general has been challenged to immediately table an Anti-hudud bill in Penang to guarantee the people that such a law would never find its way into the state no matter who takes control of the administration.
Gerakan human rights and legal bureau chief Baljit Singh said the need for such a bill was more pressing now that DAP's allies in Pas were increasingly showing their commitment to introduce hudud law in the event Pakatan comes into power.
"DAP leaders like Karpal Singh have been consistent in saying that Pas will not be allowed to go on with its plan to introduce hudud. However, Guan Eng and his father Lim Kit Siang have so far refrained from issuing any strong statements condemning Pas' hudud.
"This is despite the fact that Pakatan leaders declaring to Malaysians that Pas had abandoned its hudud agenda in favour of a welfare state. The only way for DAP to show it is really sincere in opposing hudud is to introduce an anti-hudud law in Penang immediately," he said.
Baljit said only by tabling such a Bill in the state legislative assembly can the DAP prove to the people that it was really against hudud and all the statements that Karpal had been issuing to reject the introduction of the Islamic law was genuinely the stand of the party.
He added that although Karpal had been vocal in opposing hudud, Pas leaders had continued to declare that such a law was still on its agenda.
Most recently, even Guan Eng's good friend and former cellmate Mat Sabu - who is Pas deputy president, had stated that Pas' hudud would be the first issue on the agenda should Pakatan come into power.
"Although Mat Sabu is now trying to backtrack on his statement, other Pas leaders have come forward to say the same thing. Guan Eng cannot plead ignorance about what is going on.
"Since he has the power to do so, Guan Eng must show that Penang will take the first step to oppose hudud and table an anti-hudud bill immediately. Surely this is more important than an anti-hopping bill," he added.
Baljit added that unlike the anti-hopping bill, Guan Eng would not have any problems getting the anti-hudud bill through as matters concerning religion were under state jurisdiction.
He said Section 9 of the Federal Constitution clearly guaranteed this and Guan Eng should not dilly dally or give any excuses on why he cannot table the anti-hudud law.
He is fighting very hard to get the anti-hopping law tabled and has milked the maximum publicity for it despite knowing that it is unlikely to get anywhere due to provisions in the Federal Constitution.
It was reported that Guan Eng has been pushing for an anti-hopping law although he has openly voiced support for the defections by Sabah BN elected representatives.
Even his father has praised the two Sabah MPs, Datuk Seri Wilfred Bumburing and Datuk Seri Lajim Ukin for crossing over to Pakatan.
Kit Siang and the entire Pakatan camp had, ahead of Anwar's Sept 16 fiasco in 2008, also supported the Pakatan de-facto leader's attempt to rope in at least 30 Barisan MPs to make up the 112 elected reps that the PKR supreme chief needed for a simple majority to form the Federal Government.
A columnist in a local newspaper has also questioned Guan Eng's real motives for the anti-hopping law.
"Guan Eng's U-turn while unexpected and startling has not come as a big surprise, considering the dilemma he is currently in.
"Is he trying to play safe and keep Penang his “fiefdom” on the eve of a general election, just as PAS had tried in Kelantan and Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan had once done in Sabah?." K.Baradan of The Star questioned.
Meanwhile, Guan Eng's critics claim that the Chief Minister's rush to push for the anti-hopping law was an indication that all is not well among the DAP, Pas and PKR in Penang.
They are linking the anti-hopping bill to the recent meeting among state PKR leaders where Penang PKR chief Mansor Othman labelled Guan Eng as a cocky and arrogant leader who is considered a `tokong` (deity) by his supporters.
Mansor had also openly warned PKR leaders here that the DAP was trying to move in and grab more seats from their ally. The move he said was to enable DAP to form the Penang state government on its own after it gained the majority number of seats.
The DAP, and especially Guan Eng, is well aware that he no longer commands the kind of blind support he got before and immediately after the 2008 general elections.
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