KUALA LUMPUR, March 20 — Any proposals to amend the Federal Constitution to protect the State Legislature’s rights of enacting Shariah criminal enactments must not be done hastily.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Mohd Na’im Mokhtar said any proposal about the matter needed an in-depth and comprehensive study to ensure that any decision made is accurate, legally orderly, and could be defended if challenged in court in the future.
“The Special Committee to Study Issues Related to the Competence of the State Legislature to Enact Islamic Law will study and refine this matter.
“I believe that the study being carried out by this special committee could help to find the best and most harmonious solution to solve the issues that have been brought up about the competence of the State Legislative Assembly to enact Islamic law and the jurisdiction of the Shariah Court as provided in under item 1, List II-State List, Ninth Schedule of the Federal Constitution,” Mohd Na’im said in a written Parliamentary reply yesterday.
He was responding to PAS’ Marang MP Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang who asked if the government is ready to amend the Federal Constitution so that State Legislatures’ rights to enact Shariah criminal enactments can be protected.
He added that any recommendations, views and suggestions that will be presented by this Special Committee, including amendments to any law or the Federal Constitution will be carefully refined to ensure the best solution can be raised to the National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs of Malaysia and Conference of Rulers in the future.
