KUALA LUMPUR: The religious affairs ministry is discussing proposed amendments to the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act or RUU355 with stakeholders.
Its minister Na’im Mokhtar said the proposed amendments will also take into account ongoing efforts to amend the Syariah Court (Federal Territories) Act.
“On RUU355, we are still in the engagement phase, holding discussions with Islamic councils and palaces of the various states,” he said in response to a question in the Dewan Rakyat on the progress of the proposed amendments.
In May, the government confirmed its plans to table a bill to amend RUU355.
Na’im said the government will table the bill to amend both RUU355 and the Syariah Court (Federal Territories) Act to strengthen the Shariah judicial system.
Both bills will be tabled once they are approved by the Cabinet.
In 2016, PAS president and Marang MP Abdul Hadi Awang 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 hoped to enact a stricter Islamic criminal code of hudud but it was strongly opposed by the public. The amendment bill was then presented as a resolution to strengthen the shariah courts. - FMT
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