Kelantan hopes non-Muslim MPs will not oppose Hadi's Bills

KOTA BARU: The Kelantan government hopes non-Muslim MP's will not oppose Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang's two Private Member's Bills.

State Deputy Mentri Besar Datuk Mohd Amar Abdullah said Muslim MPs should support the Bills as they would strengthen the Syariah Court's powers.

"The state is thankful to the Federal Government for this and I hope Muslim MPs will support the move while non-Muslim MPs will not oppose them," said the PAS vice president.

Mohd Amar, who is also the state hudud law technical committee chairman, added that if all went well, Syariah Court judges would be elevated to be on par with their conventional law peers.

The first of Hadi's Private Member's Bills is to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 (RUU355).

The other Bill is to the Kelantan government to utilise Federal agencies like the police and the Prisons Department to enforce its laws.

This is because Article 76A of the Federal Constitution states crimes such as theft, robbery, causing hurt, rape and murder – which are within the ambit of Syariah law – are under the jurisdiction of the Penal Code.