KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 3 — A Terengganu Umno delegate claimed today that non-Muslims opposed a Bill to enhance the Shariah courts’ punitive powers because they desired the Malay-Muslim community to continue "living in sin”.

"When the non-Muslim Opposition opposes the upgrade of the punishments, they see that as an opportunity to let Malays to continue living in sin, then they can take over.

"If we let the Bill be passed, they [Malays] will revert to the true teaching of Islam,” Setiu Umno representative Mohd Iskandar Jaafar said when debating the religion and education motion at the 2016 Umno General Assembly here.

Mohd Iskandar said further that current punishments were insufficient to curb social problems among the Malays.

As an example, he said there were 153,000 babies born out of wedlock to Muslim parents.

"They are afraid that if the punishments are upgraded, Muslims will be protected from making mistakes,” he said.

Malays in the country are automatically classed as Muslims by law.

Mohd Iskandar said the party has always been consistent in upholding Islam, as Umno MPs were instrumental in passing the Shariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act in 1965.

On the first day of the assembly, Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak said Putrajaya would take up the private member’s Bill initiated by PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang.

Hadi’s Bill now proposes to increase Shariah punishment caps to a maximum 30 years’ imprisonment, RM100,000 fine and 100 lashes of the cane.

It previously sought to remove all limits to Shariah punishments save for the death penalty.

Hadi read out his motion on the revised Bill in Parliament last week, but deferred explaining bill to the next Parliamentary meeting, due in March next year.

Umno previously extended various support to Hadi in his effort to increase the punishments available to the Shariah courts, including elevating his motion above government matters and conducting a special briefing by the deputy prime minister for all Muslim MPs.

But Najib, who is also the prime minister, had assured non-Muslims that the Bill will not affect them.