THE HUDUD CONTROVERSY IN MALAYSIA: Religious Probity or Political Expediency?

2014 will be remembered as a year in which the whole Malaysian nation came together in the wake of the double tragedy involving the national carrier Malaysian Airlines, namely the disappearance of MH370 from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, and the shooting down of MH17 over Ukrainian airspace on July 17, killing all 298 passengers. The two mishaps, while bringing politics to a temporary halt, were not devoid of uncanny political circumstances. The MH370 mystery, in particular, took place on exactly the sixth anniversary of the 12th General Elections (GE12) on 8 March 2008, which changed the course of Malaysian politics when the Anwar Ibrahim-led People's Pact (PR: Pakatan Rakyat) opposition alliance denied the ruling National Front (BN: Barisan Nasional) its coveted two-thirds parliamentary majority and added Penang, Selangor, Kedah and Perak to the list of states it controlled; Kelantan having already been under an Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS: Parti Islam SeMalaysia)-led government since 1990.