KUALA LUMPUR, April 14 — Datuk Zulkifli Noordin said the government should amend Shariah laws to allow states such as Kelantan to implement hudud instead of amending the Federal Constitution,
The former Perkasa deputy president said that states have the right to implement hudud as the Federal Constitution states that any matters regarding Islam is under the jurisdiction of state assemblies.
“The federal government does not have the power or authority to implement hudud.
“So accusations and allegations that Umno does not want to implement hudud laws at the federal level is not true at all.
“The Kelantan government is right to start the initiative to present the proposal to implement hudud,” he said in an opinion piece published by Umno mouthpiece Utusan Malaysia.
The former Kulim-Bandar Baharu MP also said every crime under hudud has already been criminalised either in the Shariah Criminal Offences Enactment 1995 or the Penal Code.
“In other words, hudud already exists and is being implemented in the country. What is different is the types of punishment,” he said.
Depending on the crime, the punishments under hudud include stoning, amputation of hands or feet and flogging.
“What needs to be done is to amend the law in the Shariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 (Act 355) to give jurisdiction to any state assemblies including Kelantan to formulate and implement criminal law or Islamic jurisprudence in accordance with the provisions stipulated in the Shariah as enshrined in the Holy Quran or hadith,” he said.
Last week, DAP and PKR leaders had issued stern reminders to their political ally that the controversial Islamic penal code was never a part of the consensus among the three parties, either at state or federal level.
This comes as Kelantan prepares to propose two private bills in Parliament in its bid to remove any obstacles to its implementation of hudud by 2015.
In Islamic jurisprudence, hudud covers crimes such as theft, robbery, adultery, rape, sodomy, making unproven accusations of adultery, causing physical hurt, drinking intoxicants, apostasy, and acts contrary to Islamic belief.
The law is generally confined to Muslims, but can extend to non-Muslims if they are involved in aiding or abetting an offence committed by a Muslim.
