KUALA LUMPUR: The special committee to review the competency of the state legislative assemblies to enact Islamic laws is in the process of finalising its report, the Dewan Rakyat was told.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar said he was informed by the committee chairman, Tun Zaki Azmi, that the report would subsequently be submitted to the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Shah, who is also the National Council of Islamic Religious Affairs (MKI) chairman.
"As of today, I was informed that the committee is finalising the report before it is submitted to MKI chairman," he said in response to a supplementary question Zulkifli Ismail (PH-Jasin) during Question Time on Monday (Dec 9).
Zulkifli had asked the government to reveal the latest status of the meeting conducted by the special committee, as well as the status of its study.
Na'im also noted that the committee held 40 meetings so far, with the latest being on Nov 15.
The special committee was formed following a royal decree from the Sultan of Selangor during the 70th National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs.
The special committee held its first meeting at the Putrajaya Islamic Complex on Dec 5, discussing the terms of reference of the special committee and outlining the directions for conducting the studies on jurisdictional conflict issues.
The special committee, among others, also discussed the direction of their study and research and offered recommendations based on their findings regarding the issues faced by Syariah-related laws in the country, Mohd Na'im said previously.
The committee includes judges, religious council members, legal experts and academics.
Early this year, Mohd Na'im said the report would entail the committee's findings and recommendations for a comprehensive resolution to the issues regarding the competence of state assemblies to enact Islamic laws and the jurisdiction of the Syariah Courts as provided under Item 1, List II — State List and Ninth Schedule of the Federal Constitution.
