KUALA LUMPUR - A plan by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's government to table a controversial amendment that would raise the Syariah Courts' criminal powers has quickly drawn criticism from its own ally, the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), over worries that non-Muslims will be affected.
This is the Anwar administration's latest apparent effort to appeal to Muslims and "out-Islamise" the opposition Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition dominated by Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS), ahead of crucial polls expected in July in six states.
On Thursday, de facto minister for religious affairs Mohd Na'im Mokhtar told Parliament that the government plans to table the amendment also known by its Malay initials RUU355 - to the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act after getting Cabinet approval. However, the minister did not provide a timeline for when the approval will arrive.
PAS vice-president Idris Ahmad, who was religious affairs minister from August 2021 to November 2022, said the previous Cabinet had already greenlit the amendment for tabling.
"During the previous administration, the Cabinet had already approved it, and sent it to the Attorney-General," he told The Straits Times on Friday, adding that it had been slated for tabling in November last year until Parliament was dissolved for the general election.
This story is from the May 27, 2023 edition of The Straits Times.
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This story is from the May 27, 2023 edition of The Straits Times.
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