Pas will continue pushing for RUU 355 debate in Dewan Rakyat

KOTA BHARU, Aug 12 – Kelantan Pas will continue to push for the tabling of the private member’s bill on amendments to the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act, better known as RUU 355, in the Dewan Rakyat.

This is despite the federal government announcing that the committee set up prior to the 14th general election was considered defunct.

Pas ulama council chief Datuk Hassan Mahmood said since the committee was now considered defunct, the party would escalate matters to federal level.

“We in Kelantan have had a special committee for a long time now. Maybe after this Pas members of parliament will escalate the matter in Parliament to allow for a technical committee to be created.

“We do not place importance on committees, but what is important is that RUU 355 is debated in Parliament to enable it (the amendments) to be put in place,” he said when met at his office.

It was reported recently that Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Dr Mujahid Yusof had said RUU 355 was not a priority for the Pakatan Harapan government as they were looking at strengthening the Syariah Courts as a whole.

As such, he had said, the technical committee on RUU 355 was now defunct.

Hassan said the opportunity for the matter to be realised now lay in the hands of the federal government.

“We agree with the government’s intentions of strengthening the Syariah Courts holistically, but RUU 355 must also be given attention so that social ills can be tackled and gotten rid of,” he said.