I am disturbed to read media reports quoting Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nancy Shukri as saying that she would not participate in the vote should PAS president Dato’ Seri Abdul Hadi Awang’s private member’s bill to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 be tabled in Parliament.
This is all the more shocking considering Sarawak BN’s recent announcement that all component parties in the state “will not support anything to do with hudud.”[1] This position is in line with Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem’s vow that Sarawak, with its multi-racial population, could not accept such a law.
Unfortunately, Nancy’s announcement that she would not vote either way is contrary to Sarawak BN’s stand. In fact, for her to say that Hadi’s bill is “none of her business” is grossly irresponsible, when clearly the loss of her vote against the bill may result in major and irreversible repercussions for the country.
Her decision not to participate is akin to supporting Hadi’s bill, because the passing of the bill requires a simple majority of MPs present in the chambers. In other words, any MP who is against the bill and does not show up to vote will in effect increase the chances of the bill succeeding.
If the amendments are passed, it would mean that the current “3-5-6” limits of punishments imposable by the syariah courts, namely three years jail, a fine of not more than RM5,000 and six lashes. In its place, syariah courts would have the powers to dispense any form of punishment permitted by Islam, other than the death penalty.
This would instantly enable most of the punishments prescribed under the two hudud enactments in Kelantan and Terengganu, such as 100 lashes for fornication, 80 lashes for sexual slander, 40-80 lashes for intoxication and an unspecified jail term with forfeiture of property for those deemed to be heretics and apostates.
Therefore, I urge Nancy to reconsider her stand and vote against the bill, along with her other Sarawak colleagues, whom I hope will also live up to their promise.