Global Courant 2023-05-26 19:03:24
KUALA LUMPUR – A plan by the government of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to introduce a controversial amendment that would increase the criminal powers of the Syariah courts has quickly drawn criticism from its own ally, the Malaysian Chinese Association ( MCA), due to concerns that non-Muslims are being affected.
This is the latest move by the Anwar government in an apparent attempt to appeal to Muslims and outshine the opposition coalition Perikatan Nasional (PN) dominated by Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) in the run-up to pivotal polls expected in July in six states.
On Thursday, de facto religious affairs minister Mohd Na’im Mokhtar told parliament that the government intends to introduce the amendment — also known by its Malaysian initials RUU355 — to the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act after approval by the cabinet. However, the minister did not give a timetable for when the approval will come.
PAS Vice-President Idris Ahmad, who served as Minister of Religious Affairs from August 2021 to November last year, said the previous cabinet had already given the amendment the go-ahead for submission.
“During the previous government, the cabinet had already approved it and sent it to the attorney general,” he told The Straits Times on Friday, adding that it would be tabled in November last year until parliament was dissolved for the general. election.
MCA vice president Ti Lian Ker tweeted on Friday that his leaders were “ready to leave the Barisan Nasional cabinet” when the amendment was proposed and supported by Umno, but stressed how this time there was silence from the China-based Democratic Action Party (DAP), a key ally of Datuk Seri Anwar’s unity government.
MCA has two MPs and DAP 40 MPs.
Analysts said the law will not affect non-Muslims as only Islamic courts will be involved, but many non-Muslims remain wary of it. The bill aims to increase the Syariah courts’ maximum sentence limits for offenses to 30 years in prison, a fine of RM100,000 (S$29,300) and 100 strokes of the cane. The current limits are three years in prison, a fine of RM5,000 and six strokes.
Singapore Institute of International Affairs senior fellow Oh Ei Sun said the unity government faces a dilemma in increasing its religious credibility without losing support from non-Malaysians.
“The government of national unity should almost file this to bolster its religious credentials in anticipation of the state elections, in which a new green wave looks set to arrive,” he told ST, adding that the DAP will most likely object whether it at risk is its traditional non-Malaysian support base.
By introducing the bill, Mr Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan coalition hopes not to lose even more supporters in the northern states of Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah, which are due to conduct their state polls soon.
“It’s hard to match the religiosity of PAS in those outback Malaysias,” said Dr. Oh.
He predicted a mixed reaction among urban Malays in Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Penang, who will conduct state polls at the same time.
“Those who are decidedly liberal would disapprove of such a move. But there are also steadily growing groups of urban conservative Malays who would welcome it.
The intention to introduce the amendment follows several government measures that also drew criticism from some quarters.
Recent raids by authorities on Swatch stores in Malaysia over the sale of Pride-themed rainbow watches have prompted an angry response from the Swiss-based watchmaker. The six colors of the watches correspond to the flag of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.
On the other hand, a government decision to withdraw an appeal against a 2021 Supreme Court ruling allowing non-Muslims to use “Allah” to refer to God after a decades-long battle has sparked protests of Islamist groups, including the two largest Islamist political parties in Malaysia.
These disputes underline the fragile inter-ethnic tightrope that the unity government of disparate parties must walk at a time when political parties have already embarked on unofficial pre-election campaigns.
Dr. Mazlan Ali, senior lecturer at the Razak Faculty of Technology and Informatics at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, said: “The Anwar government is under pressure from the opposition. It has been accused of being pro-liberal and pro-LGBT. PN often uses religion and race to attack the government.
“The prime minister wants to prove the opposite is true and that the government of national unity is serious about tackling Islam-related issues.”
