PETALING JAYA: MCA has rejected an open letter from PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang which urged Malaysians to accept an "Islamic approach", saying that it disagrees with any laws that can create disharmony.

Terengganu MCA state liaison committee chairman Datuk Toh Chin Yaw (pic) said Hadi's suggestion that the Islamic approach to politics, economy and society could help curb corruption and crime was merely wishful thinking as countries which already enforce hudud law have not been able to curb these problems.

He cited examples like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Sudan, Afghanistan, which he said were clear examples where corruption, fraud and abuse of power are common.

"Their people live in dire straits, even their welfare and interests could not be ensured, so how can the impact on non-Muslims be any different?" he said.

Toh said that Hadi's Private Member's Bill on the proposed amendments to the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 would disregard the constitutional rights of both Muslims and non-Muslims.

"Hadi must realise that his Private Member's Bill has failed to receive support from non-Muslims, and there are Muslims, a silent mass, who resist it too," he said, adding that the move could be viewed as a "backdoor attempt" to implement hudud.

He added that MCA would continue to stand firm in rejecting "extreme religious-based" criminal codes and expressed confidence that the people would not be tricked into accepting the changes proposed by PAS.

Hadi, who is Marang MP, tabled his Private Member's Bill on the Syariah Court amendments, otherwise known as Act 355, at the previous Dewan Rakyat sitting in April but it was deferred for debate by Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia.

The proposed amendments seek to increase the limits of punishment that can be meted out by the Syariah Courts.

-The STAR-