Caught off guard after Bill leapfrogs other items

KUALA LUMPUR: It was a huge surprise when Parliament allowed PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang’s controversial Private Member’s Bill to be debated.

The Bill, which was listed as Item 15 in the day’s Order Papers, leaped over other items to be tabled.

Abdul Hadi had tried twice before to table his Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) (Amendment) Bill 2016 in Dewan Rakyat since 2015 but failed.

Then, without any warning at 2.30pm yesterday, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said moved the motion for his Bill to be debated.

Her motion was seconded by Deputy Works Minister Datuk Rosnah Abdul Raashid Shirlin.

Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin allowed the motion, saying that as Dewan Rakyat Speaker he had the right to decide whether private member Bills could be debated.

But the debate is on hold because Abdul Hadi requested that it be deferred to the next parliamentary meeting in October.

If the Bill is passed, the Kelantan state government will be able to impose hudud punishment in the state.

Once again this proposed Bill is creating a split in the coalition.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the PAS Bill only applied to Muslims in Kelantan. He said the Bill was not making new law but was to upgrade the Syariah Court’s powers.

Parti Amanah Negara’s (Amanah) communications director Khalid Samad said they would support the Bill if it benefited Islam.

He told reporters in the lobby that he was among those who had suggested amendments to strengthen the Syariah Court’s jurisdiction instead of introducing a hudud law.

The Shah Alam MP, however, slammed PAS for its timing.

“Now we don’t know whether it will be brought up in the next meeting. I mean, if you want to debate it in the next meeting, then just bring it up in the next meeting, why bring it up now? The only thing that separates this meeting from the next are the by-elections; is that the reason?” he asked.

Last year, 12 Barisan Nasional component party leaders expressed their reservations on implementing hudud to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and asked him to clarify his position on hudud.

Subsequently, almost all non-Muslim leaders, especially from Sabah and Sarawak, declared their parties would not support any amendments to federal laws that would introduce hudud in Kelantan.