KOTA BHARU, May 9 – The Kelantan state government will reintroduce 16 of the 18 provisions of the Syariah Criminal Offences Enactment (I) Kelantan 2019 that were annulled by the Federal Court last February for approval in the state legislature.
Kelantan Islamic Development, Dakwah, Information and Regional Relations committee chairman Mohd Asri Mat Daud said the matter would be discussed through the Convention for Strengthening Syariah Legislation and Institutions to be held on May 21.
“Three presentations will be made during the convention regarding the annulled provisions, and as a result, we will discuss it more thoroughly through the Special Committee to Defend the Syariah Criminal Offences Enactment.
“We will endeavor to consider how these invalidated sections can be reintroduced into state legislation for re-approval,“ he told reporters after the State Executive Council meeting at the Kota Darulnaim Complex on Wednesday.
According to him, the special committee chaired by the Deputy Chief Minister of Kelantan will re-examine the 16 provisions, including making certain amendments to ensure they have strong justification and do not conflict with Federal Court laws.
Mohd Asri said the state government has full confidence that the Syariah enactment will come back into force in Kelantan.
“We are 100 per cent confident that it will be approved and can be implemented again because we also have legal experts, and this matter was unanimously agreed by all members of the State Legislative Assembly including two opposition assemblymen in the last state assembly session,“ he said.
On March 6, the Kelantan State Assembly approved a motion to reintroduce the 16 provisions in the Kelantan State Syariah Criminal Code Enactment (1) 2019, which were declared null and void by the Federal Court on Feb 9.
A panel of nine judges chaired by Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat in an 8-1 majority, decided to annul the provisions after allowing the petition of lawyer Nik Elin Zurina Nik Abdul Rashid and her daughter, Tengku Yasmin Nastasha Tengku Abdul Rahman.
