PAS playing ‘cheap politics’ by raising RUU355 issue now, says PM

 

Anwar Ibrahim said there is ‘nothing Islamic’ about PAS’ position on the tabling of the amendment to the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act, or RUU355.

KUALA LUMPUR: Anwar Ibrahim has hit out at PAS for only being concerned about the amendment to the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 (RUU355) in the Dewan Rakyat after becoming part of the opposition.

The prime minister accused the Islamic party of “cheap politics”. He said PAS conveniently “forgot” about the bill while it was part of the federal government for more than three years but have raised the issue again now that it is in the opposition.

“That’s not Islamic, that’s cheap politics,” he told the media when asked to comment about PAS asking Putrajaya when it will table the amendment for RUU355.

n the Dewan Rakyat on Thursday, religious affairs minister Na’im Mokhtar replied to PAS’ Pendang MP Awang Hashim, saying that the government will table the bill together with the Syariah Courts (Federal Territories) Bill in a bid to empower the shariah judicial system.

However, he did not give any specific timeline on when the Cabinet will give the green light for the bills to be tabled.

Awang had also questioned the government’s commitment to table the motion.

On May 26, 2016, PAS president and Marang MP Abdul Hadi Awang had submitted an amendment to RUU355 as a private member’s bill. The amendment was to enact harsher punishments for shariah offences by raising the shariah courts’ maximum sentencing limits to 30 years’ jail, a RM100,000 fine and 100 strokes of the cane.

Currently, the limits are a jail term of three years, a RM5,000 fine, and six strokes of the cane.

At the time, it was reported that PAS had hoped to enact a stricter Islamic criminal code of hudud but it was strongly opposed by the public. Thus, the amendment bill was then presented as a resolution to strengthen the shariah courts. - FMT