KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim slammed the opposition who claimed ignorance over the constitutional challenge to the Kelantan syariah law filed by a mother-daughter duo.
The petition was filed on May 25 last year during the time when Perikatan Nasional was part of the government.
On Sept 30 the Federal Court also allowed the challenge to proceed, and all of this happened before the 15th General Election (GE15) took place, meaning PN was still in power.
"I regret that there are parties trying to divert the issue as if this was done by the unity government now.
"On May 25 last year, who was the prime minister? Who was the law minister then?
"Now all the burden is on us. (They make) lengthy doa, creating issues to scare everyone. Doa to who? Why not doa to the minister then?
"When you were the minister you did not do your work. Then the court allowed (the case to proceed) on Sept 30, 2022.
"Who was the law minister then? Where are the ministers?
"(They didn't) know? How can a cabinet minister, in a case of such gravity opposing Islamic syariah, say they don't know?
"A very easy excuse (to put the blame on the unity government)," he said during Prime Minister Question Time (PMQT) in the Dewan Rakyat.
Anwar was responding to a question posed by Mohd Azizi Abu Naim (PN-Gua Musang) to state the government's stance on the issue.
The constitutional challenge was initiated by lawyer Nik Elin Zurina Nik Abdul Rashid and her daughter Tengku Yasmin Nastasha Tengku Abdul Rahman on May 25, 2022.
They utilised Article 4(4) of the Federal Constitution to directly approach the Federal Court, listing the Kelantan state government as the respondent.
They are disputing 18 provisions under the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code (I) Enactment 2019, saying they were unconstitutional.
Yesterday, the Federal Court, after hearing submissions from all parties involved, reserved judgment and will later set a date to deliver its verdict over the petition.