Confusion reigned in Parliament today when PAS President
Abdul Hadi Awang’s Private Member’s Bill to amend Act 355 of the Federal
Constitution was unexpectedly brought forward.
The bill was originally listed as the last item to be
debated in the Dewan Rakyat today.
That was until Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department
Azalina Othman Said proposed for it to jump queue, seconded by Deputy Works
Minister Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin.
The bill is meant to amend the syariah court’s jurisdiction
to allow it to mete out hudud sentences.
It will also pave the way for hudud to be implemented in Kelantan, a goal which PAS had long fought for.
However, despite receiving the green light from Dewan Rakyat
Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia, Hadi, after reading out his motion, requested for
it to be postponed to the next session.
This was then agreed to by Pandikar.
As the next parliamentary session is scheduled only in
October, the bill will not see the light of day for the next few months.
Even then, it is still unclear if it would even make it to
the Dewan Rakyat again.
Reasons for Hadi’s request for postponement were not
provided.
Meanwhile, Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) Communications
Director Khalid Samad labelled the bringing forward of the bill as “peculiar”.
He conceded that no rules were broken in terms of procedure,
but maintained it was peculiar for the government to prioritise the Private
Member’s Bill.
“I am not saying it’s wrong, but it is very peculiar that
they prioritised the bill over government bills.
“Some questions need to be asked and this should be looked
into,” he told reporters outside the Dewan Rakyat today.
When asked if Amanah supported the bill, Khalid insisted
that it had to be analysed first.
“Whatever the bill is, if it is beneficial to the people, we’ll
support it.
“It has to be analysed first, I cannot tell you straight
away whether or not we support it.
“If it is beneficial and if it is for the greater good,
we’ll support it.”
Source -FMT-
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