PAS confident Private Members Bill will gain support

PETALING JAYA: PAS is confident that the Private Members Bill will be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat session starting today.
Its ulama chief Datuk Mahfodz Mohamed (pix) said this is due to the support garnered and the Bill requiring only a simple majority for it to be passed as law.
"We have explained the Bill and the proposed amendments to all the Parliament members and public. I think Malaysians are now clear about it," he said, adding that they need the support of Muslims.
Of the 222 MPs, he said they need more than 112 votes. We hope to get support from Umno, Pakatan Keadilan Rakyat, and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM)," he told theSun when contacted.
With some still sceptical and against it, he said, PAS will continue explaining the proposed amendment which was raised in 1964, 1984 and now.
"It only affects the Muslims, thus the amendments should be included in the Act," he said, adding acts such as zina, and adultery should be included as well.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Institute of Islamic Understanding (IKIM) constitutional law expert Associate Prof Dr Shamrahayu Abdul Aziz said legal practitioners are questioning the need to include the proposed amendments and for the penalty to be increased to 30-years' jail, RM100,000 fine and 100 strokes of the rotan.
At present, she said, the law states three years jail, RM5,000 fine and six strokes of the rotan.
"Its better to study and explain the offences that need such a high penalty. This is where the Marang MP needs to explain further," she said, adding that the public has yet to see the document.
She stressed that it is only a proposal.
The Private Member's Bill to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965, was first moved by PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang on May 26, last year.
The bill seeks to amend the Act, also known as Act 355, to empower Islamic courts to enforce punishment, except for the death penalty, provided in Syariah laws for Islamic offences listed under state jurisdiction in the Federal Constitution.