KUALA LUMPUR: The last engagement sessions on the proposeds amendment to the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 are being done before the feedback is compiled and presented to the cabinet.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Na'im Mokhtar said the cabinet would make a policy decision, before the bill on the amendments was tabled in Parliament.
The bill proposing the amendments is col·lo·qui·al·ly called Bill 355.
"So far, the engagements carried by the Jakim (the Malaysian Islamic Development Department) legal department are ongoing and all states including their religious council, the Syariah court, and the state Islamic religious department have been invited to attend the sessions.
"The sessions are in the final stage, hence the report is not ready yet," he said after the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Council (MAIWP) Carnival 2024 at Taman Tasik Titiwangsa here.
The carnival was officiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Present were Setiawangsa member of parliament Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, who is also the natural resources and environmental sustainability minister, and MAIWP chairman Syed Kamarulzaman Syed Kabeer.
Asked when the bill would be tabled in Parliament, Naim said; "We hope (this year), insyaAllah. I will discuss this with the prime minister."
Previously, Pengkalan Chepa member of parliament Datuk Ahmad Marzuk Shaary 'invited' Umno to continue Pas' efforts on Bill 355.
He said the draft had been completed, reviewed and approved by the Attorney-General Chambers Drafting Division on Oct 7, 2022.