Tawfik says asked AG to remind Speaker on Shariah Bill

KUALA LUMPUR, March 6 ― Tawfik Ismail, who is suing the Speaker for allowing a bid to raise Shariah sentencing limits, said he has written to the Attorney-General to caution Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia against allowing the matter to again reach Parliament.

The son of the late Tun Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman is suing the Speaker and Parliament secretary Datuk Roosme Hamzah for previously accepting PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang’s proposal to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act or Act 355.

The High Court last month dismissed Pandikar’s application to set aside Tawfik's suit, and the latter then warned the Speaker that allowing the motion to reappear in Parliament would be contempt of the court.

The motion is listed as the fourth item in today’s Order Paper.

“I was not surprised (by its appearance) because I knew about this via several MPs who received the Order Papers. So, last week, my lawyers had written to the AG,” Tawfik said.

Tawfik said he was “angered and infuriated” by Pandikar’s “disregard” for the court proceedings, adding that it also suggested the Speaker’s views of the Conference of Malay Rulers.

“Speaker is showing his contempt for the institution of royalty by placing this [motion] in the Order Paper and after the King declared the Parliament open,” he said.

In the letter dated March 2, Tawfik via his lawyers asked the AG to extend Pandikar a copy of the High Court judgement last month when it granted Tawfik leave to challenge Pandikar over the decision to allow the motion to be read out in Parliament.

Hadi's motion was carried over from the previous two parliamentary meetings.

Despite the listing, it is not certain that Hadi's motion to increase Shariah punishments tenfold will be brought up for debate.

In his lawsuit filed March 31 last year, Tawfik claimed, among others, that Pandikar erred by allowing Hadi to submit his motion to raise Shariah sentencing limits before these were presented for the approval of the Malay Rulers.

Tawfik insisted that Hadi's motion would change “national policy”, and must first be referred to the Conference of Rulers for consultation and consent as required by the Federal Constitution's Article 38, which he alleged was not done.