The top judge in the country said as the Administration of Islamic Law (Federal Territories) Act 2013 is a policy matter, it was unwise for the judiciary to comment on it.

Chief Justice Arifin Zakaria, when approached on the sidelines of the Malaysian Legal and Corporate Conference 2013 in Kuala Lumpur, skipped answering on the controversial bill recently introduced by the government.

"I cannot comment as it is a policy decision. I will only decide when the case comes to court," he said.

The amendment to the Bill is expected to be tabled during this parliamentary seating.

Reservations about it have been expressed from various quarters including BN component parties from MCA, MIC and Gerakan, along with the Bar Council and the Malaysian Consultative Council on Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism.

When pressed further that there has been confusion on the definition of ‘parent' in the Federal Constitution based on Article 12 (4) between the Malay translation and the English text, Justice Arifin also declined to comment.

"I cannot say anything - I cannot decide until the matter comes to court. That is the role of judges.

NONE "Until then we cannot say anything otherwise it would be pre-judging the issue. We have to give parties the right of hearing," said Justice Arifin.

Yesterday, it was reported that Health Minister Dr S Subramaniam ( left ) had opined that a translation error in the bill had resulted in the confusion.

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had defended the amendment bill saying it reflected the current situation.

However Bar Council president Christopher Leong had said that the bill is contrary to the constitution as the definition of 'parent' under Article 12 (4) include approval from both parents as defined in Article 160.

Courts for construction disputes

Justice Arifin also announced the formation of special courts to handle construction disputes.

"This is in recognition of the importance of the construction industry in the Malaysian economy. Now more construction cases and construction related claims can be disposed more efficiently," he said.

All construction, building contracts and anything related to the construction industry will go to these courts.

"Judges well versed with the construction industry will be there. We can expect faster disposal of cases which can only help the industry.

One construction court, Justice Arifin said, is already in place in Kuala Lumpur and another is being set up in Shah Alam.

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