Mahfuz disappointed that Act 355 not debated today

Pokok Sena MP Mahfuz Omar is disappointed that PAS' planned amendments to the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act (Act 355) was not debated in Parliament today.

The proposed amendments were listed as number seven on the Dewan Rakyat's order paper, but the speaker ordered today's session, the last in the current meeting, to end at the sixth order of business.

"Not one of the other PAS MPs or the PAS parliamentary whip got up to push the speaker to allow Act 355 to be debated today.

"This was made even more tragic, because despite PAS being so adamant about bringing the amendments to parliament, the Marang MP (PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang) is absent today, showing that we are not serious about this issue," Mahfuz told Malaysiakini on the sidelines of Parliament.

PAS' proposed amendments to Act 355 would see the punishment cap of three years jail, RM5,000 fine, and six strokes of the cane increased to 30 years jail, RM100,000 fine, and 100 lashings.

The closest the House came to debating the amendments came when Hadi was allowed to read out his motion on April 7.

However, immediately after reading out his motion, the House proceedings ended and a debate on the bill was deferred, and it has not made it to the Dewan Rakyat floor since.- Mkini