KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 5 ― Pakatan Harapan will reject PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang’s Private Member's Bill if he does not elaborate on it before the next Parliament sitting convenes.
Amanah communication director Khalid Samad reiterated today that the Shariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) (Amendment) Bill 2016 was vague and filled with ambiguity, and that such amendments could instead be detrimental to the Islamic laws and Shariah Courts.
“We cannot simply support amendments that are confusing, vague and ambiguous although we support the move to enhance Shariah Courts.
“Therefore, after much consideration and attempts to get the Marang MP (Hadi) to explain about this, our stand is to reject his Bill if there's no explanation given before the Parliament starts,” he told a press conference here.
The Shah Alam MP, instead, proposed the Bill to be more comprehensive by encompassing all elements and aspects of the Shariah law.
He suggested the formation of a committee that included Shariah Court judges from each state, scholars and religious experts to study several elements on how the Bill should instead be.
“The study must see how to improve the effectiveness of handling cases, salary scale of staff and the effectiveness of punishments that are under the Act 355.
“If there's a need to improve any of these, then the committee must advise accordingly,” he said.
Khalid, however, said this proposal would not be made into a motion to be tabled at the Parliament.
In a press conference on September 6, Khalid asked Hadi to explain the proposed amendments to the Act 355 and it's implications it possessed.
According to Khalid, neither Hadi nor PAS issued a reply to his letter sent after the press meet.
Hadi's Bill seeks to amend the Act 355 to empower Shariah Courts in Kelantan by imposing harsher penalise.
Khalid earlier said that a roundtable meeting within Amanah found the Bill to be “confusing and vague in nature”.
