MCA president Liow Tiong Lai has told the BN supreme council meeting not to allow PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang's private member's bill to go to the floor when Parliament reconvenes next month.

This was disclosed by Liow after the BN supreme council meeting at Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) this evening.

"It (Hadi's bill) is a private member's bill and not a government bill.

"Government bills should be given priority," Liow told journalists after the meeting.

In May, Umno's component partners were shocked when the government allowed Hadi's private member's bill to go to the floor.

A private member's bill normally sits at the bottom of the queue behind government bills and are unlikely to see the light of day if the government does not give way.

Despite successfully getting the bill to the floor, Hadi requested that it be withdrawn to allow time for MPs to study the proposed amendments.

He had confirmed he will re-table the bill in October.

Meanwhile, Umno secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor was tight-lipped about the discussion on the bill at the BN supreme council meeting.

Hadi’s bill seeks to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 or Act 355, which limits the syariah court’s punishment to a maximum fine of RM5,000, three years’ jail or six strokes of the rotan.

The amendment seeks to remove these limits.

It is referred to as the ‘Hudud Bill’ as it would ultimately pave the way for the partial implementation of the Islamic penal code, specifically in PAS-ruled Kelantan, which has already passed an enactment to that effect.

For example, the punishment using the rotan under the enactment ranges from 40 to 100 strokes.

However, the Kelantan state enactment cannot be implemented as long as the punishment limits meted out by the syariah court remains.

"It was raised but it's secret," he told journalists after the meeting.

On a separate matter, Tengku Adnan said to "let it be" in response to former Umno vice-president Shafie Apdal setting up a new Sabah-based party to challenge the ruling coalition.

"The more (opposition) parties there are, the better for us," he laughed.