KUCHING: The proposed Mufti (Federal Territories) Bill is solely aimed at enhancing the jurisdiction of the mufti in the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, and Labuan, said Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) vice president Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
He explained that the bill, currently being tabled in the Dewan Rakyat, only relates to Islamic law, which falls under the jurisdiction of individual states.
“It is just a bill being presented in Parliament, and it has yet to become law.
“Once it becomes law, it will only apply to the Federal Territories. There is no need for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Sarawak and Sabah to be overly concerned.
“If it doesn’t concern us, we shouldn’t get too ‘excited’ over the issue,” he said during a press conference after officiating at the Seventh International Conference on Rural Development and Entrepreneurship (ICORE 2024) at the Waterfront Hotel here today.
Abdul Karim, who is also Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts, said many Members of Parliament (MPs) may not support the bill during its reading in Parliament.
Recently, a group of 14 NGOs from Sarawak and Sabah voiced their opposition to the Mufti Bill 2024, which is set for its second and third reading in Parliament. The group claimed that the bill violates the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) and threatens Malaysia’s secular framework.
“We firmly reject any move to be ruled by muftis, as this would effectively side line the constitutional monarchy, the Madani government, and Malaysia’s secular parliamentary democracy. Such a change would transform Malaysia into an Islamic state overnight,” the NGOs stated.
In response, Minister of Communications Fahmi Fadzil clarified that the bill, as informed by Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs), contains articles and clauses nearly identical to Sabah’s Fatwa Enactment passed in 2004, which outlines the powers of the Sabah Mufti.
Fahmi added that the bill is not meant to expand the powers of the mufti but to provide clearer jurisdictional boundaries, thereby preventing disputes over the actions taken by the mufti in the Federal Territories.
