Hakam slams Hadi’s call to abolish ‘colonial laws’

The National Human Rights Society (Hakam) has criticised PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang for calling for the abolition of colonial-era laws in Malaysia. Hakam president M Ramachelvam expressed concern over the use of a politically convenient argument, suggesting that Malaysia's constitutional and legal framework is a foreign imposition.

Ramachelvam argued that the question should not be whether a law has colonial origins, but whether it is valid within Malaysia's current constitutional order. He noted that the Reid Commission, which drafted the Malaysian constitution, was established to create a framework for an independent and self-governing Federation of Malaya.

Ramachelvam stressed that the Federal Constitution is the result of extensive consultation and negotiation, and that Malaysia's constitutional and legal system recognises Islam as the religion of the federation. He urged political leaders to ensure that public discourse on religion, law and constitutional rights does not fuel fear, resentment or distrust between communities.

Hadi, in his Minda Presiden PAS article, stated that Article 4 of the Federal Constitution makes it the country's supreme law, and that any inconsistent law can be invalidated, requiring extensive constitutional amendments for the full implementation of shariah criminal law.