Fighting corruption priority, RUU 355 can wait - Mat Sabu




TASEK GELUGOR, May 27 (Bernama) -- Pakatan Harapan's main priority is to fight corruption and abuse of power and Amanah will only be making a stand on the Syariah Amendment (Criminal Jurisdiction) Bill after holding internal consultations first, said its president Mohamad Sabu.

"Will discuss it at Amanah's next meeting and from there we will state our stand. We have to get feedback on party figures who are experts on the matter," he told reporters after hosting a breaking-of-the-fast at this residence in Kampung Guar Petai here today.

He was commenting on the call by PAS vice president Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah to former PAS leaders who are now Amanah MPs to keep their promise to enable the tabling of the bill in Parliament.

Mohamad, more popularly known as Mat Sabu, who was appointed Defence Minister under the new Pakatan Harapan government, added that the priority of the component parties in PH now was to combat the scourge of corruption and abuse of power which were alleged to be widespread in the previous Barisan Nasional (BN) administration.

"That is the most important, to save Malaysia...the fight for the people's interests takes precedence. It is our main priority," he said.

PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, the MP for Marang, had moved the RUU 355 as a Private Member's bill at the last sitting of the Dewan Rakyat in April but it did not reach the debate level because government matters came first .

PH, a coalition made up of Bersatu, DAP, PKR and Amanah, and led by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad ended the BN's six decades grip on power in the country when it won the 14th general election on May 9.

-- BERNAMA