[UPDATED] Ngeh’s suggestion for non-Muslim on shariah courts committee ‘a mistake’, says Loke

KUALA LUMPUR – DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke has stepped into the furore over remarks by the party’s Beruas MP Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham, labelling the latter’s suggestion to have non-Muslims sit on the special committee to review the shariah courts “a mistake”.

Loke said he was “well aware” that Ngeh’s statement would create the impression that DAP was trying to interfere in Islamic matters.

“This is not true at all.

“I would like to point out that Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham’s statement proposing the appointment of a non-Muslim legal expert to be a member of the Special Committee to Review the Duties of the Shariah Court is a mistake regarding the authority behind the establishment of the committee,” Loke said in a statement.

Loke, who is also transport minister, said DAP respects the wisdom of the Sultan of Selangor, who chairs the National Council on Islamic Religious Affairs (MKI), which had set up the special committee.

The committee was announced earlier this month by Religious Affairs Minister Datuk Mohd Na’im Mokhtar to review the competency of state legislatures to create shariah laws, as well as the jurisdiction of the shariah courts as provided for under the federal constitution.

This follows Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s announcement in the Dewan Rakyat last month that Putrajaya will create a committee, sanctioned by the Conference of Rulers, to elevate and strengthen the shariah legal system.

Ngeh, in his statement yesterday, said that in addition to a non-Muslim constitutional law expert, a representative from the Malaysian Bar should also sit on the special committee to ensure fairness.

Ngeh’s remarks drew immediate flak from Umno and Bersatu leaders, who accused him of provocation and of undermining confidence in the Malay rulers, who are guardians of Islam in their respective states.

Umno secretary-general Datuk Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said Ngeh’s suggestion only served to provide “unnecessary controversy”, while Bersatu’s Youth (Armada) chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal said Ngeh’s proposal could cause public unrest and demanded an apology.

Other representatives from Umno, which is DAP’s ally in the unity government, have also panned Ngeh.

Loke said today that the special committee will report directly to the MKI, which has also selected the committee’s members.

He also said non-Muslims should not worry about the committee’s work, as any proposed amendment to laws involving the rights of non-Muslims would have to go through the cabinet and Parliament. – December 29, 2023