Four non-Muslim S'gor exco members meet Sultan to voice concerns over conversion Bill

SHAH ALAM: Selangor’s four non-Muslim state executive councillors had an audience with Selangor's Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah following the plan to table proposed amendments to a Syariah enactment concerning the unilateral conversion of minors.

Sultan Sharafuddin consented to the meeting Thursday (Aug 8) and the four, led by senior exco Datuk Teng Chang Khim from DAP, had an audience with the Ruler at Istana Bukit Kayangan here.

The other three are V Ganabatirau and Ng Sze Han, who are also from the DAP, and PKR’s Hee Loy Sian.

The meeting, which lasted for about two hours, ended at about 1.05pm after which the exco members were seen leaving the palace.

According to sources in the know, the four had conveyed their concerns in the event the amendments are tabled and implemented.

Currently only Selangor, Sabah and Penang require the permission of both parents prior to the conversion of a minor child.

If the amendment goes through, only one parent needs to give his or her consent for a child below the age of 18 to be converted.

The amendments were proposed by the Selangor Islamic Council (Mais) and believed to have received the nod from the Selangor palace.

Mentri Besar Amirudin Shari has been severely criticised and a motion of no-confidence may even be mooted against him over the matter.

He was unable to table the motion during the state legislative assembly sitting last week when Speaker Ng Suee Lim postponed the session to a later date.

Sources say some elected representatives are angry with Amirudin because he was unable to see the tabling through and there are some who are angry with him for "agreeing" to allow the proposed amendments to be tabled.