Allow discussions on RU355 amendment

There is a new twist to the proposed amendment to Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act (Act 355) tale. It has been reported that the Government will now table the amendment to Act 355, taking over from PAS President and Marang Member of Parliament, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang. What was supposed to begin life as a Private Member’s Bill may now be a Government bill.

At this juncture, it is not known whether the bill that is to be introduced by the Government will be identical to that proposed by Hadi Awang. Even Hadi Awang’s proposed Private Member’s Bill had two versions. The original version, which was read to the Dewan Rakyat in May 2016, proposed to allow the Syariah courts to mete out any sentence for Syariah offences, except death.