KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin will seek an audience with His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia over the Federal Court decision this morning, ruling 16 provisions in the Kelantan Syariah law as unconstitutional.
The opposition leader will also seek an audience with Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah as Malaysian National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs (MKI) chairman.
The meetings, he said, were to raise the people's concerns and address the necessary adjustments for syariah court empowerment.
"The decision of Nik Elin Zurina Nik Abdul Rashid's petition, which does not favour the Kelantan state legislative body, has touched on the sentiments of the entire Muslim community. This is especially since Article 3 of the Federal Constitution establishes Islam as the religion of the federation.
"This development indicates a serious discrepancy in powers and areas of jurisdiction related to the rights of the majority of Malaysians to practice their religion," he said in a statement today.
Earlier, the Federal Court, in a landmark ruling stated that 16 out of 18 provisions under the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Enactment were unconstitutional.
Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat said the legislative powers of the federal and state governments have been determined by the Federal Constitution in the federal list and state list.
She said neither Parliament nor the state legislative bodies can enact laws beyond their respective lists.
Hamzah, meanwhile, claimed that the apex court's ruling would have repercussions and undermine other Syariah criminal enactments in the country.
"These state enactments are exposed to the risk of nullification. From a more general perspective, this decision could have a significant impact on eroding the powers and jurisdiction of the Malay rulers.
"Malay rulers, including His Majesty the King, when taking their oath of office under Article 37(1) have sworn to uphold Islam at all times," he added.
He said as a step forward, it was necessary to amend the Federal Constitution to strengthen Syariah laws, especially concerning the rights of the majority to profess and practice their religion.
"We call upon all stakeholders to come together without being restricted by political boundaries to achieve this goal," he said.