Dec 29 special sitting of Kelantan State Assembly to discuss hudud

The Kelantan government will hold a special sitting of the State Legislative Assembly this Dec 29 to table and pass amendments to the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code II, or the Hudud Law.

Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Yakob said this was necessary before a private bill on the implementation of hudud could be brought to Parliament.

"The amendment has to be made and passed to enable us to table a private bill in Parliament as provided under Article 76A of the Federal Constitution," he told a media conference at the Kota Darulnaim Complex here Sunday.

Ahmad said the amendment would require two-third support of members in the State Assembly to be passed.

"It is only a one-day sitting and we hope all members of the assembly will participate in the debate on the proposed bill," he added.

On objections raised by the Chinese community on the proposed implementation of hudud in Kelantan, Ahmad said enforcement of the law would only be on Muslims.

"The matter does not arise because we respect other religions and this hudud law does not cover the non-Muslims," he added.

Prior to this, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom had said the federal government was leaving to the Kelantan government to decide when to table a private bill in Parliament on implementing hudud in the state.

He said it was the right of the Kelantan government to do so as the matter was not within the jurisdiction of the Central Technical Committee on hudud.