KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham's suggestion to include non-Muslims in a committee meant to discuss Syariah law is "excessive and unnecessary", said a Pas leader.
The party's secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan said the committee to study the powers of the Syariah Court was established to advise the National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs (MKI) and the Rulers' Council on issues relating to Syariah law legal conflicts only applied to Muslims.
"Based on this situation, Pas finds Ngeh's proposal and statement not only excessive but also unnecessary.
"The concerns raised are not just premature and provocative, but also purely speculative," he said in a statement today.
He said Pas maintained an open stance and believed that all parties must give enough room for the committee to conduct its study and engagement based on the terms of its appointment without any interference or negative assumptions.
"Pas is also puzzled as to how, as a government-supporting member of Parliament, Ngeh seems entirely insensitive to the process and procedures, and lacks caution in his statement which may stir controversy and conflict.
"This can only be interpreted as yet another failure on the part of the government to control the narrative within its own ranks," he said.
Takiyuddin claimed that the majority of the Malaysian population had never created a confrontational atmosphere or seen as meddling in matters of other teachings or religions.
"The same attitude should be reciprocated and adopted by all parties, otherwise it will only damage the existing harmony and ultimately become a timebomb that can destroy everything," he said.
In a statement yesterday (Dec 28), Ngeh had reportedly said it was important to appoint non-Muslim experts to the committee to review the jurisdiction of the Syariah Court to include the views of non-Muslims before proposals for changes are made.