Give us two-thirds majority, we’ll fortify shariah law: Zahid

KUALA LUMPUR – Umno has vowed to amend the federal constitution to strengthen shariah law should it achieve the political “holy grail” of a two-thirds majority in Parliament.

President Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said this is necessary in light of recent court decisions that he said have hurt the feelings of many Muslims in the country. 

He was referring to the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s decision allowing Christians to use the word “Allah” in their publications, and a Federal Court ruling that a Selangor shariah enactment criminalising unnatural sex is inconsistent with the constitution and therefore void. 

In his policy speech at the Umno general assembly here today, Zahid said the latter ruling, in particular, has far-reaching implications, as it can potentially lead to the nullification of more shariah provisions.

“In fact, it can cripple the shariah criminal law system, as well as undermine the power of states to enact and enforce such enactments.

“In my opinion, these two court rulings have touched on our federal constitution. Perhaps, we may need to amend the constitution when we (Umno) and our other friends achieve a two-thirds majority in Parliament, to ensure shariah law is strengthened.” 

On February 25, the apex court unanimously declared that Section 28 of the Shariah Criminal Offences (Selangor) Enactment 1995, which criminalises unnatural sex, is null and void.

Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, reading the judgment summary, said the court granted the order sought by a local Muslim man as the criminalisation of unnatural sex is an area where only Parliament is empowered to enact laws on.

On March 10, the high court ruled that Christians can use the word “Allah”, as well as “Baitullah”, “Kaabah” and “solat”, in their educational publications. 

This renders invalid a circular issued by the Home Ministry against the use of “Allah” in Christian publications.

The last time a coalition achieved two-thirds support – which gives the government power to make constitutional amendments – was in the 2004 general election, when Barisan Nasional won 198 of the 219 federal seats up for grabs.

Presently, there are 222 seats in the Dewan Rakyat, meaning any party that wants to secure a supermajority will have to get at least 148 seats. 

Zahid said Umno has received many complaints from the public on the two recent court decisions, as the party is traditionally known as a platform that the people turn to for “solace”. – The Vibes, March 28, 2021