Act 355: PAS info chief expects 'good news'
PAS believed that its goal of amending the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 to enable the implementation of hudud law will be passed by Parliament one day.
The party's information chief Kamaruzaman Mohamad told PAS newspaper Harakah that the party acknowledged Muslims were eager to have Islamic laws implemented.
"The bill had been tabled, but...
PAS believed that its goal of amending the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 to enable the implementation of hudud law will be passed by Parliament one day.
Its information chief Kamaruzaman Mohamad told party newspaper Harakah that PAS acknowledged Muslims were eager to have Islamic laws implemented.
"The bill had been tabled, but it has yet to be debated on. God willing, I am confident that (the bill) will be on the (Dewan Rakyat) agenda when the time comes.
"God willing, (this bill) will be the foundation for the implementation of syariah law. So we will wait for the good news for Muslims," he said.
In April 2017, the BN-administration allowed Marang MP Abdul Hadi Awang (below) to table a private members' bill seeking the amendment of the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965, otherwise known as Act 355.
However, the Dewan Rakyat sitting was postponed and the bill was never debated.
Now that PAS is part of the Perikatan Nasional-administration, the party is under pressure to ensure that the bill is passed.
During the Pakatan Harapan-administration, PAS leaders had repeatedly urged the government to work on the passage of Act 355, which never happened.
However, the ability of the PN government to pass any bill is currently in doubt because the government bench only has a slim majority.
Initially, Hadi was seeking amendments to Act 355 which would remove all the penalty caps that could be imposed by Syariah Courts.
Only two states - Kelantan and Terengganu - currently have Syariah courts that impose corporal punishments, including death sentences.
Eventually, Hadi had to amend his bill to increase the limit of the current penalty caps (three years jail, RM5,000 fine and six lashes) to 30 years jail, RM100,000 fine and 100 lashes.
