“Barisan Nasional consensus on consensus” on Hadi’s hudud bill – What is this strange animal?

There is now a new creature in the world – the “Barisan Nasional consensus on consensus” on Hadi’s hudud bill.

This new creature of “Barisan Nasional consensus on consensus” was born out of the betrayal of long-cherished principles and political positions adopted by Barisan Nasional leaders and component parties for over four decades, and its first appearance was announced to the world by the MCA President and Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai in Sungai Besar last night.

Liow told the press in his Sungai Besar by-election campaign trail in Sekinchan that the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak had given “positive” signals over the Barisan Nasional row in the past two weeks over Hadi’s hudud bill which was fast-tracked to leap over all official government business on the last day of Parliament on May 26 by way of a Ministerial motion which was moved by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.

Liow told the press that he had met the Prime Minister over Hadi’s hudud bill and conveyed the MCA’s view that the Barisan Nasional spirit and consensus must be respected and the Prime Minister had given “a positive response”.

The Gerakan President, Datuk Mah Siew Keong, confirmed Liow’s statement, saying that a Cabinet meeting today resolved that the Barisan Nasional leadership will discuss and reach a “consensus” on Hadi’s hudud bill.

Mah revealed that in the meeting with Najib and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi over Hadi’s hudud bill, it was agreed that there will be a discussion among Barisan Nasional leadership and a consensus decision will be made in accordance with BN spirit.

I feel appalled about the quality, caliber and mettle of the present leaderships of the Barisan Nasional component parties.

In the past fortnight, I had publicly suggested at least half a dozen times to Liow and Mah to requisition an emergency meeting of the Barisan Nasional Supreme Council to resolve the Barisan Nasional row over Hadi’s hudud bill once-for-all, especially as Azalina’s Ministerial motion made three fatal mistakes, viz:

• Violated the consensus of all Barisan Nasional leaders on Hadi’s hudud bill in March 2015;
• Violation of the reaffirmation of Barisan Nasional stand by the Cabinet meeting of May 20, 2016 as revealed by Upko Acting President and Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation in an urgent letter to Najib on May 25 in a last-ditch attempt to stop Azalina’s Ministerial motion;
• Presented unilaterally and arbitrarily, totally against Barisan Nasional spirit, without formal notice to all Barisan Nasional Ministers and leaders.

I am somewhat gratified what I had suggested publicly at least half a dozen times in the past fortnight that there should be an emergency meeting of the BN Supreme Council to end the row over Hadi’s hudud bill is now being acted upon – although Liow and Mah would have engendered greater confidence, not only among the Malaysian public but among MCA and Gerakan members, if they are capable of promptly doing what is right on their own initiative instead of dilly-dallying over it.

No wonder MCA and Gerakan have even lost the confidence of their own party members and not just the Chinese community and the Malaysian public, as illustrated by the results of the last general election.

Could it be that Liow and Mah dare not on their party’s own initiative requisition an emergency meeting of the BN Supreme Council, for this is not permissible for MCA and Gerakan as they will otherwise be acting “out of line”?

But I am dismayed by the agenda for the belated meeting of BN leaders, which I presume will be the BN Supreme Council – to make a “consensus decision” on Hadi’s bill!

BN leaders have always maintained that there is already a Barisan Nasional consensus rejecting Hadi’s hudud bill, and if this the case, why is there a need to make “a consensus decision” on Hadi’s bill – creating a new-fangled creature of a Barisan Nasional “consensus on a consensus”?

As I said right from the beginning of the controversy, it is meaningless to indulge in empty rhetoric after the horses have bolted and issue threats which nobody believes like threats to resign from the Cabinet at the end of the year if Hadi’s hudud’s bill is passed by Parliament, when the urgent and realistic thing to do is restore the status quo ante to reaffirm BN consensus to reject Hadi’s hudud bill, and the sacking of Azalina (proposer) and Deputy Works Minister Datuk Rosnah Abdul Raashid Shirlin (seconder) for the Ministerial motion to fast-track Hadi’s hudud bill in Parliament on May 26.

Even if Liow and Mah dare not ask for the sacking of Azalina as Minister and Rosnah as Deputy Minister for proposing and seconding the “fast-track” Ministerial motion, the MCA and Gerakan President should ensure that the BN Supreme Council restore the status quo ante on the issue, by reaffirming the Barisan Nasional consensus which had been the basic principle and cardinal position of BN for over four decades right from its formation in 1973!

If there is already a 43-year-old Barisan Nasional consensus rejecting hudud in Malaysia, why is there still a need to reach a “consensus” on Hadi’s hudud bill?

What is this second consensus on the first consensus in the new fangled Barisan Nasional “consensus on a consensus”?

Furthermore, what is the first “consensus”?

If the UMNO Ministers take the position that the “first consensus” is Azalina’s Ministerial motion to fast-track Hadi’s hudud bill, then unless all the Ministers can agree on a new consensus to oppose Hadi’s hudud bill, there will be a second Ministerial motion in Parliament at the end of the year to “fast-track” Hadi’s hudud bill to bring his motion to a resolution in Parliament.

If the “first consensus” is to recognize the 43-year BN consensus to reject hudud law, the Azalina’s Ministerial motion has violated this consensus, and unless all Ministers and BN leaders agree to a new position, the 43-year BN consensus must stand and remain – and Azalina and Rosnah should be sacked as Minister and Deputy Minister respectively for violating the 43-year-old BN consensus.

What is the “first consensus” and what is the “second consensus” is this new-fangled “Barisan Nasional consensus on a consensus”?