Kelantan's hudud must comply with the federal constitution before it can be rolled out, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Jamil Khir Baharom.

 

He said this today in a parliamentary reply to Pasir Puteh MP Nik Mazian Nik Mohamad who asked what commitment Putrajaya was prepared to give to ensure the implementation of hudud in Kelantan.

 

"The government takes note of Kelantan's intention to implement Syariah criminal law.

 

"Therefore, before that intention can be executed, existing legal provisions must be scrutinised to ensure the implementation of the (syariah criminal) law is in line with the federal constitution and existing laws in force," said Jamil Khir.

 

He added on Putrajaya's part, it has also worked to ensure the Syariah criminal system is implemented by expanding the jurisdiction of the Syariah courts and upgrading the Syariah judicial system.

 

Jamil said the Syariah criminal law technical committee between the state and federal government is also aimed to ensure that Syariah criminal law can be implemented in an orderly manner, consistent with the federal constitution.

 

Yesterday, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang ( right ) had called on the house speaker to expedite the tabling of a private member's bill in Parliament which will pave way for the implementation of hudud in Kelantan.

 

Umno, the largest block in BN, has yet to declare whether it will support the bill but its partners have voiced opposition to it.

However Jamil Khir was part of the government’s initiative to set up a joint technical committee with the Kelantan government last year to study the implementation of hudud.