PETALING JAYA: Non-Muslim religious groups in the country are now at ease, following the Federal Government’s decision not to table the Private Member’s Bill to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act .
The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) said the decision announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak put to rest their fears over the last few months.
“We are pleased that the country will not take a different cause which may jeopardise national unity,” said movement vice-president Jagir Singh.
“We hope that this consensus will be welcomed by everybody and it is also good for the country’s future.
“It is important that we all respect and follow the Federal Constitution as any deviation from it will bring about disunity.”
Catholic Bishop Emeritus Dr Paul Tan Chee Ing said the move was a step away from an otherwise “inexorable drift” towards an Islamic state.
He added that the Barisan Nasional government had stepped away from a measure that would have hastened Malaysia’s decades-long drift towards Islamisation of the country’s laws and governance.
Dr Tan also advised non-Muslim quarters to refrain from engaging in acts of triumph over the decision.
