PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang's Private Member’s Bill on hudud has finally appeared on the parliamentary order paper, two days before the present sitting of the Dewan Rakyat is due to end.

The bill, Item No 28, is the last matter on the order paper, which means it may not likely be tabled. There are still 12 government bills to be debated by Thursday.

Hadi ( photo ), the MP for Marang, introduced the bill on March 18. It only appeared on the order paper on April 7, again as the last item, and was never tabled.

The bill seeks to amend a federal law, the Syariah Court (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965, to pave way for the implementation of hudud law in Kelantan and the other states.

At present, the Act limits the Syariah Court to imposing a maximum sentence of three years’ jail, a maximum fine of RM5,000 and six lashes of the cane. This is known commonly known as the 3:5:6 rule.

Hadi wants to replace Section 2 and Section 2A of the Act to compel Syariah Courts to apply syariah law as stipulated by the Kelantan's Syariah Criminal Code (II) Enactment 1993, which also provides for the death sentence by means of stoning and crucifixion.

Simple majority vote needed to pass bill

A simple majority vote is required to pass this bill. If it is not tabled by Thursday, Hadi will have to introduce the bill in the next session of Parliament.

Critics argue that even if Hadi's bill is passed, the full effect of the Syariah Criminal Code (II) Enactment 1993 cannot be implemented because it is unconstitutional.

Minister in charge of Islamic Affairs Jamil Khir Baharom has been non-committal on whether Putrajaya supports Hadi's Private Member’s Bill, but had once told the Dewan Rakyat that Kelantan must ensure that its laws are in line with the Federal Constitution.

Last Saturday, Culture and Tourism Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz said Hadi's bill cannot be discussed in the Dewan Rakyat without the consent of the Yang di-Agong Pertuan Agong.