Any amendment to syariah law in Perak needs Sultan's consent first, says state Speaker

IPOH: Any amendments to the Syariah Criminal Code in Perak in view of the Federal Court’s verdict to nullify 16 provisions in Kelantan's syariah criminal laws must first get consent from the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah, says Datuk Mohammad Zahir Abdul Khalid.

The Perak legislative assembly Speaker said this was due to the fact that the amendments touch on Islamic affairs that come under the jurisdiction of His Royal Highness the Sultan of Perak.

He said before the proposed amendments were brought forward to the state assembly, Sultan Nazrin’s consent was necessary.

“This is a necessary procedure before the matter is discussed through a committee under the Perak Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (MAIPk), and later presented at the MAIPk conference.

“This is based on the state constitution, and it is also necessary that we get the consent from His Royal Highness before the committee in MAIPk starts the discussion,” he told reporters after providing details on the coming state assembly sitting on Feb 23.

Earlier, Mohammad Zahir said there were no emergency motions submitted by the assemblymen for the sitting from Feb 23 to Feb 29.

The assembly would be declared open by the Sultan of Perak on Feb 23.

On Feb 9, the Federal Court nullified 16 of the 18 provisions of the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code following a legal challenge launched by lawyer Nik Elin Zurina Nik Abdul Rashid and her daughter Tengku Yasmin Natasha Tengku Abdul Rahman.

During the press conference, Mohammad Zahir also called for all parties to pray for the health of Kuala Sepetang assembly Ahmad Man from Perikatan Nasional who recently underwent heart surgery at the National Heart Institute (IJN) on Wednesday. (Feb 15)

“We will all pray that he recovers quickly after the surgery,” he said.