PUTRAJAYA: Amendments to the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 (Act 355) should not be made in haste, and must take into account views of international Syariah law experts, said Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
He said the process of the amendments should be made in detail, and take into consideration the views of all parties including the Syariah courts, the civil courts, as well as international legal experts.
He said he had an audience with former Malaysian National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs (MKI) chairman, Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, to continue discussions over Act 355.
Anwar also had an audience with new MKI chairman Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Shah last week.
"They both consented to the initial framework that was presented by the expert committee.
"This was conveyed to Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na'im Mokhtar, and Sultan Nazrin has expressed his readiness to discuss it at the (MKI) meeting this August."
Anwar said this in his speech at the "Upholding the Syariah Law and Judiciary in Malaysia" convention here, today.
He said the matter should be reviewed carefully to ensure that amendments to Act 355 were not seen to have significant weaknesses.
"We want it to be done properly because once it is presented, it becomes a strong document which would be agreed upon by all states, muftis, and scholars.
"We should make sure that the amendments are thorough and comprehensive so its implementation would not be questioned, and its arguments would cover all aspects.
"I have asked Jakim (Malaysian Islamic Development Department) and Na'im to coordinate efforts to seek the views of international Syariah law experts," he added.
He said the preliminary study on Act 355 would be presented to the MKI in August.
"(However) it cannot be finalised yet. After my discussion with the Sultan of Perak, he suggested that it should ideally be brought to international Syariah legal experts to be discussed."
At the same time, Anwar said this thorough review was not an excuse to delay or undermine previous efforts, but to improve it as there were several weaknesses in the provision.
In April, it was reported that the government was in the process of preparing documentation concerning the proposed amendments to Act 355 for submission to the MKI.
Na'im had said the discussions and consultations with state Islamic religious agencies on efforts to improve the Act had been concluded.