SHAH ALAM: The Selangor government may still proceed to table the bill to amend a state enactment to allow for unilateral conversion of minors in the next state assembly sitting, according to its Mentri Besar Amirudin Shari (pix).
This is despite strong protests from several quarters, including state and national DAP leaders, who described the move as backward-thinking.
“If there is a need, we will table (the bill in the next sitting),” he told reporters after attending a dinner with state PKR leaders, here, late last night.
“But there are opposing views to this matter. That’s why I feel it’s best we iron out all the issues (before tabling the bill),” he added.
Among others, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and state party chairperson Gobind Singh Deo had condemned the proposed amendment, maintaining that conversion of minors to Islam should only be allowed with the consent of both parents.
It was previously reported that Amirudin had initially pushed for the amendment to be tabled during the last state assembly sitting held last week, but Speaker Ng Suee Lim adjourned the sitting after just two days, from the initial nine days scheduled, leaving no space for the bill to be put up for debate.
Ng later responded by saying that there was no such bill on the order paper in the first place, and that the state assembly sitting had adjourned earlier as all matters had been concluded.
Amirudin however explained yesterday that he had initially given the mandate to Ng whether to include the bill in the order paper.
However, he said Ng had decided against the move, due to conflicting views from assemblymen.
“I gave the mandate to the Speaker to make a decision. We tried to bring it to the end of the sitting but unfortunately something happened and there were some motions that were not tabled.
“So because of that it (unilateral conversion of minos bill) is overtaken by events,” he said.
Amirudin said following this, he would hold more discussions with stakeholders to explain on the proposed amendment before considering to table it in the next state sitting.
“There’s still no final conclusion, and we need certain understanding among the state assemblymen. This is a big matter as it also involved the federal constitution,” he said.
