PETALING JAYA: The Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) (Amendments) Act 2016 or RUU 355 will be tabled in parliament this April 6, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi yesterday.
However, he said, it would be up to the discretion of Parliament Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia.
“RUU 355 will be tabled by the Marang member of Parliament (Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang). We leave it to the discretion of the Speaker whether details on the amendments will be given adequately and be debated,” he said.
Ahmad Zahid, who is Malaysian Criminal Prevention Foundation (MCPF) chairman told this to reporters after attending the foundation’s 24th annual general meeting here yesterday. Also present were Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar, who is MCPF deputy chairman and MCPF senior chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.
Last Wednesday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the government would not be tabling the bill to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965. The decision came about following a consensus reached over the matter at the Barisan Nasional (BN) supreme council meeting, which he had chaired earlier.
Ahmad Zahid said it would be up to Pandikar Amin to decide whether or not to allow the tabling of RUU 355.
“However, I believe it will not go for a vote, but it’s all up to the Speaker,” he added.
On the action by former Benut Member of Parliament Datuk Mohamed Tawfik Tun Dr Ismail to seek a court declaration that the proposal by Abdul Hadi to increase punishment under syariah laws was a violation of the Federal Constitution, Ahmad Zahid said said it was Mohamed Tawfik’s right as a Malaysian citizen to do so.
“But, the Dewan Rakyat also has powers when it comes to legislation and there are existing procdures whereby the Speaker has the authority to decide whether a bill can be tabled as a private member’s bill or through other ways,” he said.
In his application filed at the Kuala Lumpur High Court yesterday, Tawfik, who is the son of former deputy prime minister the late Tun Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman, claimed that the bill contravened the federal constitution and would change ‘national policy’ if passed.
The RUU 355 was first tabled by Abdul Hadi in Dewan Rakyat on May 2016 and later the government said it take over the bill but following the BN Supreme Council meeting dropped the idea due a lack of consensus among BN component parties. — Bernama