KUALA LUMPUR: PAS’ Dewan Ulama wing has passed a motion for the Islamist party to cut all ties with its partner DAP, but remain in the Pakatan Rakyat coalition.

The emergency motion was agreed to by almost all 644 delegates at the Dewan Ulama assembly here yesterday.

The motion was first tabled by Dewan Ulama central committee member Mokhtar Senik, who said that DAP’s actions had crossed the limits of acceptable behaviour.

This included DAP’s decision to first cease relations with PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, and its consistent opposition to PAS’ Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code or hudud.

“DAP has cut ties with our president and consistently criticised him.

“Our president is like our father. How can we as children stand by and watch as our father is treated that way?” said Mokhtar to loud cheering from the floor.

In his speech, Mokhtar hit out at PAS leaders whom he accused of aiding DAP’s attacks towards Hadi.

The motion was unanimously passed when all 644 of the wing’s delegates stood up and gave their support.

Meanwhile, the ulama wing’s deputy Nik Zawawi Salleh said newly-converted Chinese Christians are to be blamed for the anti-hudud movement in society.

He said that a wave of Christian conversion among the Chinese increased opposition to the party’s Kelantan Shariah Criminal Code.

This opposition towards hudud, said Nik Zawawi, is not just from those in DAP, but also from Chinese Christian leaders of Barisan Nasional component parties, MCA and Gerakan. — The Malaysian Insider

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on June 4, 2015.