PAS rejects claims Act 355 was neglected while in govt

PAS has rejected allegations that it failed to act during its time in government to amend a bill aimed at increasing punishments for Syariah offences.

According to a report by Free Malaysia Today, PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said that Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965, or Act 355, was extensively discussed during cabinet meetings of the past two administrations.

He added that preparations for presenting the bill to Parliament were in their final stages.

“Then-religious affairs minister Idris Ahmad was in the process (of tabling the bill) and we were told it would be tabled,” he told the news portal.

However, Parliament was dissolved before this could happen.

Previously, Idris said the proposed bill had already been submitted to the Attorney General’s Chambers, prior to Parliament being dissolved.

Meanwhile, Tuan Ibrahim (above) also stated that PAS is willing to collaborate with the current government to ensure that the bill is enacted.

This was in response to a jab nudged by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim last month about the bill's progress under the two former governments.

"You were the government for three years recently, where was the Syariah Courts Act (amendment)?" Anwar asked.

Anwar, who is also PKR president, said this while delivering his policy speech at the 2023 PKR Special National Congress.

Last December, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Mohd Na’im Mokhtar said that the government intends to amend Act 355.

However, he did not state when the bill would be tabled in Parliament.

The amendment to Act 355 has been a long-time goal of PAS.

Often referred to by the misnomer “hudud bill”, the party's proposed amendments would empower Syariah courts to impose stiffer maximum penalties.

This would, in turn, enable partial implementation of the Islamic penal code in Kelantan.

The proposed changes to Act 355 would raise the highest sentence to 30 years of imprisonment, a punishment of up to 100 lashes, and a fine of RM100,000.

Currently, the most severe penalty allowed under Act 355 is only a fine of up to RM5,000, six lashes, and three years imprisonment.

It is unclear if the amendments being considered by the current administration are similar to the ones championed by PAS.

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