While Putrajaya appeals ‘Allah’ ruling, PAS info chief says party wants to ‘harmonise’ civil and Shariah laws

KUALA LUMPUR, March 24 — PAS information chief Kamarulzaman Mohamad today said his party is trying to “harmonise” Malaysia’s dual-track legal system where Shariah laws operate alongside the secular civil courts.

He said this is because the foundation of Malaysia’s legal system is purportedly Islamic.

“The basis of Malaysia’s law is supposed to be Islamic because the official religion for the Federal Constitution is Islam,” he said in an interview with Malay news portal Suara Merdeka aired on Facebook earlier this afternoon.

Kamarulzaman was commenting on his party’s bid to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965, also known as Act 355 in the wake of the recent landmark High Court ruling that non-Muslims have a constitutional right to use the word “Allah” to refer to their respective gods.

The PAS politician said his party’s amendment proposal for Act 355 has to be seen in a bigger perspective.

“Why do we need a separate law as in civil and Sharia law since the foundation of the Constitution itself is already Islamic?” he posed to Suara Merdeka.

On March 10, the High Court declared that a 1886 directive from the Home Ministry prohibiting the use of certain words, such as “Allah”, by non-Muslims was illegal and unconstitutional.

The ruling effectively made it possible for non-Muslims to use the word “Allah” and other words in their worship that Muslims have insisted is reserved for their religion.

The controversy has been simmering for decades and went to the courts after a Sarawakian Bumiputera Christian, Jill Ireland Lawrence Bill, challenged the Home Ministry’s confiscation of several Christian religious educational compact discs that she brought home with her from a trip abroad.

The federal government, under Perikatan Nasional of which PAS is a component party, has filed an appeal against the High Court decision, prompting leaders in Sabah and Sarawak to ask for its withdrawal.

PAS, a party based on religion, has long insisted that Malaysia is an Islamic state and that all laws should follow the Islamic code, glossing over the second part of Article 3 of the Federal Constitution that states that “other religions may be practised in peace and harmony in any part of the Federation”.

Kamarulzaman also said that PAS, as a component of the ruling PN, is always supportive of federal Cabinet decisions and is working to strengthen its ties with both Bersatu and Umno, even though the two Malay parties are currently in discord with each other.

“PAS today has become a component party in the government, so it has a responsibility to support any decision made by the Cabinet,” he said in the interview.

He added that PAS is hoping it can mediate peace between Bersatu and Umno so all three parties can continue working together and maintain their coalition in the next general election.