KUALA LUMPUR: The Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 (Amendment) Bill, widely known as RUU 355, is expected to be presented to Parliament alongside a bill for a new act soon.
Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Dr Zulkifli Hasan said both bills aim to strengthen the Syariah Court.
They will be tabled after gaining cabinet approval.
"The amendment (bill) will be brought to Parliament along with (a bill for) a new act, God willing. These, the (amendment bill) and the Syariah Courts (Federal Territories) Bill, are aimed at empowering the Syariah Courts.
"Both bills will be tabled in Parliament after receiving approval from the cabinet to ensure that the aspiration to strengthen the Syariah Courts can be realised," he said in the Dewan Rakyat.
Zulkifli said several engagement sessions with stakeholders have already been conducted to gather feedback on the proposed amendments.
He was responding to a question from Datuk Ahmad Saad Yahaya (PN-Pokok Sena) on the efforts to table the amendments to RUU 355 to elevate the status of the Syariah Courts in the country.
Zulkifli said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, at the Syariah Law and Judiciary Convention on July 15, had said the amendments must be made carefully to create a solid document that is agreed upon by all states, muftis, and religious scholars.
He said National Council of Islamic Religious Affairs Malaysia (MKI) chairman Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah on July 30 had also decreed that the Malaysian Islamic Development Department should provide a briefing on the proposed amendments at the state Islamic Council meetings to gather feedback and views beforehand.
"The Special Committee Studying Issues Related to the Competence of the State Legislative Assemblies to Enact Islamic Laws will also review the proposed amendments, and the report from the study will be considered in drafting the amendments.
"The proposed amendments to the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 will be presented to the MKI and the Conference of Rulers for consent before being submitted to the cabinet meeting for policy endorsement and then tabled in Parliament," he said.
In response to a supplementary question from Suhaizan Kaiat (PH-Pulai), Zulkifli said the engagement sessions also included non-Muslims.
"We certainly pay attention not only to Muslims but also to the understanding of non-Muslims. Therefore, I would like to share that engagement sessions also included non-Muslims, as reported and recorded by the special committee.
"These sessions involved non-Muslim organisations such as the Christian Federation of Malaysia, the National Evangelical Christian Fellowship Malaysia, the Taoism Association of Malaysia, Sri Mahamariamman Temple, Malaysia Hindu Sangam, the Religious Affairs unit of the Sarawak Premier's Department, and several other bodies.
"This proves that we take into account the need for inclusive communication, encompassing the entire society. We will continue these engagement sessions to ensure that everyone understands this effort is not about politics, but to uplift and elevate the Syariah legal and judicial institutions in Malaysia," he said.