PAS information chief Mahfuz Omar clarified that the special sitting called by the PAS-led Kelantan government over hudud does not trump Pakatan Rakyat’s agreement to defer the discussion on hudud to a later meeting.

Pakatan’s long-awaited leadership council meeting yesterday decided to defer decision on the hudud and local government elections, which DAP and PAS are at loggerheads about, until after the PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim’s Sodomy II verdict tomorrow.

"In yesterday’s meeting it was agreed that the Private Members’ Bill should not be brought to Parliament yet, so for now the law is only brought to the state assembly.

"This is until there is a Pakatan decision on the Private Members’ Bill," Mahfuz said.

Mahfuz, however, did not elaborate on what amendments will be made to update the Kelantan’s Syariah Enactment (II) 1993, which is commonly referred to as the state’s hudud enactment.

Similarly, PAS Youth chief Suhaizan Kaiat ( right ) said the meeting did not discuss the special sitting because this is the jurisdiction of the state government.

"It has nothing do to with DAP or PKR," he told Malaysiakini .

However, DAP sources told the portal that PAS leaders in the meeting agreed that the content of the amendment must be discussed, given that it is still under wraps.

The sources who declined to be named said that Kelantan Menteri Besar Ahmad Yaakob’s announcement on the special sitting yesterday thus shows that the PAS house is divided.

Gobind: There must first be discussions

Meanwhile, DAP legal bureau chief Gobind Deo Singh insisted that in the spirit of the Pakatan meeting yesterday, PAS should also not table the enactment’s amendment in the Kelantan state assembly.

“It was agreed clearly yesterday that there must first be discussions over the matter.

“That is why PAS agreed not to table the bill in Parliament next month.

“If that be the case, they shouldn’t table the bill in Kelantan either,” he said in a statement.

He added if the tabling of the amendment in the Kelantan state assembly is merely to “update” an old law, “there is no need to do things in a manner which creates a perception of secrecy and haste”.

Gobind said if Kelantan goes ahead with tabling the amendment in the state assembly, it would mean the state has little regard for the Pakatan leadership or the coalition’s future.

“That to my mind will cause serious concerns over the real intentions of certain quarters in PAS and this will certainly have a most negative impact on the direction of Pakatan hereafter,” he said.