Hadi's bill on Act 355 undergoes slight amendments

The Marang MP Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang's private member's bill seeking to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965, or better known as Act 355, will undergo slight amendments before being tabled at the Dewan Rakyat on Thursday.

PAS Ulama Council Information chief Datuk Dr Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali said the bill was expected to also contain amendments on the limit of penalties that could be imposed under the Act.

"There will be slight amendments to determine the limit of punishments, but we will only know the detail about it tomorrow," he told reporters at the Parliament lobby here, Wednesday.

He said the amendments were made following the special briefing on Act 355 by the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom in Parliament on Tuesday.

During the winding up of the debate on the Administration of Islamic Law (Federal Territories) Bill 2016 in the Dewan Rakyat earlier, several opposition MPs had even attempted to raise some issues on the bill moved by Abdul Hadi on May 26.

However, Deputy Speaker Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee said the matter would be discussed tomorrow.

The bill was listed as item number 15 on the Order Paper and was expected to be tabled tomorrow, which is the last day of Dewan Rakyat sitting for this year.

The bill, among others, seeks to amend Section 2 of Act 355 by replacing the existing provision on the subject of the Syariah Court's jurisdiction over a person professing the religion of Islam, and to introduce a new Section 2A into the Act to increase the Syariah Court's power to pass sentences, except the sentence of death. -- BERNAMA