PN to form committee to ‘strengthen position of shariah law’
Published on: Thursday, February 15, 2024
By: FMT
Perikatan Nasional chairman Muhyiddin Yassin (middle) chairing the PN Supreme Council meeting last night.
PETALING JAYA: Perikatan Nasional will form a special committee to study and propose ways to “strengthen the position of shariah law and preserve the interests of Muslims”.
Citing the Federal Court’s decision to strike down 16 provisions in the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code (I) Enactment 2019, PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin said the coalition would also organise a roundtable concerning the matter.
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He said the roundtable will be led by PAS vice-president Idris Ahmad and the committee by PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan.
Constitutional and Islamic legal experts, scholars and other stakeholders will be roped in for the discussions.
“PN takes the Federal Court’s decision seriously as it will have significant implications on the position and scope of shariah law in Malaysia,” he said in a statement.
Muhyiddin said the decision on the roundtable and committee was taken by the PN Supreme Council that met last night.
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On Friday, the Federal Court struck down 16 shariah enactment provisions on grounds that they were unconstitutional.
In delivering the 8-1 majority decision, Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat said the state assembly had no power to pass the provisions as part of the enactment as the offences in question were covered under federal law.
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Takiyuddin described the court’s decision as a “dark day in history for Muslims” in Malaysia and said the ruling would threaten shariah laws in other states.
Earlier today, Selangor’s Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah urged everyone to respect the Federal Court’s decision and the Federal Constitution.
Sultan Sharafuddin, who chairs the national council for Islamic affairs, said some quarters have “sought to play on the polemics for the interests of certain parties, which has caused confusion among Muslims in the country”.
He also noted Takiyuddin’s “dark day” remark but said he did not want to add to that polemic.
Meanwhile, Muhyiddin announced that Labu assemblyman Hanifah Abu Baker had been appointed as the chairman of Negeri Sembilan PN.
Hanifah, who was made Negeri Sembilan Bersatu chief last month, takes over the post from Bersatu deputy president Ahmad Faizal Azumu.
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