The principles and the methodology concerning the implementation of Hudud laws must be clearly explained to the people before the laws come into effect, said jailed ex-deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim.

In his recent Salam Reformasi column in the PAS organ Harakah, he said this would be the first of three areas which the opposition party must clear the air on.

Anwar said the second area would be to explain the laws' compatibility with universal democratic principles which guarantees people's rights, including that of non-Muslims and how the laws would affect them should it be implemented.

The third area, he added, would be to explain the objective of the Islamic laws in accordance with the existing reality in the country.

Open debate

Anwar also reiterated his view that the Islamic state issue be openly debated to avoid any confusion on its concept.

"In practicing democracy, the people must be exposed to information and knowledge to enable them to evaluate and choose the best leaders among them to carry the responsibilities for the people's benefit.".

"This may be similar to the Islamic concept of 'ahl hal wal aqli' - group comprised of religious scholars, intellects, community leaders, youth and women representing their respective society and groups," he said.

The ex-deputy premier added that the principle of 'hisba' (good governance) demands for accountability and transparency which in turn will make way for a strong legal system and a judiciary that is fair and independent.

"In this context, it is clear that we must oppose any abuse of the Islamic state term because it will only create further confusion within the society. This is more so when Umno and the Barisan Nasional themselves have declared in arrogance that Malaysia is an Islamic state when their implementation (of policies) are in contradiction (to the Islamic principles)," he said.

He said it was absurd for Umno to make the claim when their human rights values, the independence of public agencies like the Election Commission, Anti-Corruption Agency, the police and the judiciary are in question.

Common struggle

On the recent debate on different views taken by PRM and PAS on the issue, Anwar said he took a positive view on PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang's reaction to the statement made by PRM head Syed Husin Ali

The PAS leader had stressed on the importance of component parties within the Barisan Alternatif continuing their cooperation and hold further discussions on the issue.

"The common struggle for Barisan Alternatif is clear. In fact, the agenda is appropriately defined as an agenda for reformasi because of the strong public support including the NGOs and civil activists."

He added that the front must be committed in advocating the agenda and not allow others to divert their attention from the main issue which is to act and decide in the interest of the rakyat.

Failing to see eye-to-eye with PAS' views on the Islamic state saw DAP leaving the opposition front two years ago. More recently, another ally, PRM, warned of severe consequences to the coalition if PAS was bent on bulldozing its Islamic policies without consultation with its opposition partners.

PAS' main ally in the coalition Keadilan has not made a clear stand on the issue, but its (Keadilan) advisor Anwar's views now can be seen as reflecting that of the party's.

Anwar is currently serving a 15-year jail sentence for sodomy and corruption. He claims to be a victim of a political conspiracy but the government has denied this.