Act 355 will remain a private member's bill: PM

PETALING JAYA: PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang's bill to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act, or Act 355, will remain a private member's bill.
Confirming this yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak said: "It will remain a private member's bill and if it is presented, it will depend on the Speaker's instructions."
Najib, who is also Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman, said this to the media after chairing the BN supreme council meeting at Menara Dato' Onn here yesterday.
Najib added the decision was made after taking into account the opinion of BN component parties.
"We came to this decision in the spirit of consensus practised by BN," he said.
The bill to amend Act 355 to widen the punitive powers of the syariah courts and increase the maximum punishments for syariah offences was first tabled last year by Hadi.
Hadi seeks to increase the maximum punishment to 30 years' jail, 100 lashes of the rotan, and RM100,000 fine.
However, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi recently announced that the federal government would take over and table the bill.
BN component parties and the opposition had objected strongly to the bill, which some had interpreted as a way to introduce hudud law in Malaysia.