Umno information chief Annuar Musa has urged BN ministers not to react as if the sky is falling after they threatened to quit if PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang's Private Member's Bill is passed in Parliament.

BN component leaders were up in arms when the Umno-dominated government supported the tabling of Hadi's Bill last Thursday, without consulting its coalition partners.

"What was presented (in the Bill) was the amendment to Act 355. It is not about hudud.

"There is too much confusion and wrong information and there are some who overreacted by wanting to resign, as if the sky is falling," Annuar told journalists in Kuala Lumpur today.

He said there was still a long process to go through and urged BN components to discuss the matter together in the spirit of the coalition.

"I think as a family. We will call everyone and discuss behind closed doors as we think there are some quarters who are confused," Annuar said.

MCA Youth chief Chong Sin Woon has said claims that Hadi's Bill was not hudud was merely on a technicality and the passing of the legislation would ultimately still pave the way for the implementation of hudud punishments.

Hadi's Bill is officially named the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) (Amendment) Bill 2016.

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's enactment cannot be implemented as long as restrictions exist that limit punishments meted out by the syariah court.

Four in cabinet have threated to quit

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.

At least four BN leaders have threatened to quit the cabinet if the Bill is passed, namely MCA president Liow Tiong Lai, MCA deputy president Wee Ka Siong, Gerakan president Mah Siew Keong and MIC president Dr S Subramaniam.

Annuar denied that the government was hasty in its support for the tabling of Hadi's Bill, adding that the matter had yet to be decided at the BN level.

He said there were many options on how BN could move forward with the bill, including allowing BN parliamentarians to vote according to conscience or to abstain.

On a separate matter, Annuar said any Umno member who contests as an independent in the coming by-elections in Kuala Kangsar and Sungai Besar would automatically be sacked.

He was responding to Umno grassroots member Syed Rosli Syed Harman Jamalullail, who announced that he would be contesting in the Kuala Kangsar by-election, even though Umno has already announced Mastura Mohd Yazid as its candidate.