KUALA LUMPUR – The Federal Court’s decision to strike out 16 provisions in Kelantan’s shariah enactment displayed the absence of authority and endangered the jurisdiction of the Malay rulers, said opposition leader Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin.
He claimed the outcome of lawyer Nik Elin Zurina Nik Abdul Rashid’s case earlier today had offended the feelings of all Muslims, especially since Article 3 of the federal constitution places Islam as the religion of the federation.
“This development shows a serious lack of authority and jurisdiction in the majority of Malaysians’ right to profess and practice,” he said in a statement today.
“The effects of this decision will jeopardise shariah crime enactment in all states of this beloved country. It will expose the states’ enactments to the risk of being struck out.
“This decision can greatly erode Malay rulers’ power and jurisdiction. The rulers, including the Agong, had sworn to preserve Islam at all times when taking oath under Article 37(1) (of the federal constitution).”
Hamzah said that he would request to submit a special memorandum to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong as well as the Selangor Sultan – who is National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs chairman – to convey the people’s voices and adjustment measures to the empowerment that needs to be settled.
Expressing a need for amendments in the constitution to empower shariah law, he called on all stakeholders to sit at the same table regardless of political boundaries to make this wish come true.
Meanwhile, Hamzah reminded all Malaysians that the Malay rulers had a will during the formation of the Federation of Malaya, which, among other things, declared that “Islam was the official federal religion” and that “the Malay rulers are entrusted to protect the special position of Malays.”
Today, the Federal Court struck out 16 provisions of the Kelantan Shariah Criminal Code (I) Enactment 2019, in favour of Kelantan lawyer Nik Elin and her daughter, Tengku Yasmin Natasha Tengku Abdul Rahman.
With an 8-1 split majority decision, the judges ruled that the state assembly had no power to enact the 16 provisions, as the offences in question fell within the purview of federal law.
Following the decision, Kelantan Deputy Menteri Besar Mohamed Fadzli Hassan has urged the federal government to make necessary amendments to the federal constitution, adding that the state government would seek an audience with the state’s sultan.
However, Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, who chaired the nine-person bench in the proceeding, asserted that the challenge would not affect the position of Islam or shariah law in the nation.
Nik Elin also explained that her petition to challenge the state’s provisions was not motivated by personal gain but to defend the sovereignty of the nation’s laws. – February 9, 2024