Khalid: Amanah supports enhancing powers of shariah courts
He urges PAS President Hadi Awang to answer clearly questions arising from his private member’s bill up for debate next month.
(FMT) – Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad says Amanah supports the enhancement of penalties for shariah offences.
Khalid said there were two reasons for this.
“Firstly, it will serve as a serious deterrent against committing these crimes.
“At present, 90 per cent of the perpetrators plead guilty because it is cheaper to pay the fine than hire a lawyer.”
He said at present, since everyone was pleading guilty, the judges and lawyers were not given a chance to sharpen their skills through trials.
With higher fines and jail sentences, he expected things to change.
So, the second reason is that it will help develop expertise in the courts through more trials.
Asked whether he would support the PAS bill, tabled in the Dewan Rakyat in May to enhance the punishments that shariah courts can impose, Khalid said Amanah had asked the party to explain it in detail.
“it would depend on what PAS says.
“Instead of just providing rhetoric, as PAS has been doing all this while, it should be explaining the technical aspects of the Bill.”
He stressed that until PAS could comprehensively explain how the bill would empower the shariah courts, Amanah’s decision on the bill remained in limbo.
“We hope that PAS can respond to our queries as soon as possible. If not then we’ll have to discuss with component parties based only on what we already know and we will come to a decision on the matter before the next parliamentary proceedings.”
On Sept 6, Khalid had requested through the media that Marang MP and PAS President Hadi Awang explain the implications of his private member’s bill.
He said Amanah would present a formal letter to Hadi today and give him until Sept 30 to respond.
Hadi’s bill is scheduled for debate next month when Parliament reconvenes.
Amanah Legal Bureau Deputy Chairman Wan Anwar Wan Ibrahim today suggested that the reason Hadi had failed to explain how his Bill would further empower shariah courts is because it was tabled without prior discussion with the relevant stakeholders.
He said these stakeholders included the Jabatan Kehakiman Syariah Malaysia (JKSM) or Department of Shariah Judiciary Malaysia, state governments, lawyers, Members of Parliament and assemblymen.
