Yesterday, after chairing the Umno supreme council meeting, Najib had told reporters that the uproar over the Hudud Bill was a misunderstanding and that he had clarified to the BN component parties.
Hadi’s Bill was not about hudud, he had explained, and it was merely to enhance the punishments the Syariah Courts can mete out.
Wong said most of the non-Muslim BN leaders in Peninsular Malaysia – except a small minority – will accept whatever explanation given by Najib as they cannot survive without BN patronage.
Meanwhile, he said, East Malaysian BN politicians who are not from Umno, will downplay the issue by saying hudud is a Peninsular Malaysia problem.
Najib has shown himself willing to do what it takes to court PAS leaders into joining BN.
However, he should surely be wary of ‘enhancing punishments’ under Hudud.
After all, with the present news coming out from all directions, he himself would stand in danger of losing both hands for thieving and possibly other bits of himself too.
Therefore, he would personally do well to remain with the more modern and moderate penal system contained in Malaysia’s existing constitution, rather than encouraging the introduction of ancient bloody-thirsty rituals from Arabia.