Umno minister Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz has denied that the 1994 amendments to the Federal Constitution, which removed the need for new laws to receive royal assent, were to curtail the monarch's powers.

Nazri said the constitution at that time was amended solely to improve the law-making process in Malaysia, adding that the country was reaping the benefits of the changes today.

"It was done to ensure the smooth implementation of laws for the well-being of Malaysians and Malaysia," he told reporters before attending a book launching event at Muzium Negara in Kuala Lumpur.

"This has nothing to do with curtailing anyone's power, no... And, we all know that those who amended (the Federal Constitution back then) were the parliamentarians," he said.

He said this when asked if he was of the view that the constitution should be reviewed in terms of the rulers' powers in assenting to new laws.

The Star today reported that the cabinet is open to discussing the limitations of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's powers over a new Act.

The English-language daily quoted Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Azalina Othman Said, who is in charge of legal affairs, as saying this.

"In this matter, the thing that needed to be taken into consideration is also the smoothness of the (law-making) process," said Nazri.

"Other matters should not be the reasons for us to review (the constitution) unless this thing has become an obstruction to the process."

"We are open to any suggestion and we will listen. And if we feel that it is for the interest of smoothness of the law-making process, we can have it reviewed," Nazri said.

"But no matter what (we) discuss, the decision whether to amend (the constitution) will be based on the smothness of the law-making process," he added.

Meanwhile, Nazri believed that the amendments to the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976 as announced by Prime Minister Najib Razak last week, may be able to resolve the ongoing interfaith custodial dispute in court.

"If you are married in a civil marriage under Hindu rites, your marriage can only be dissolved through the civil court according to Hindu rites.

"The court will also decide the question of custody. All this will be resolved by the civil court," he said.

"It is not fair that a religion, especially Islam, is being used just because a person wanted to get rid of his wife or wanted to run away from his problem, using Islam as a shield," he said.

In 2009, the cabinet had decided that a child must be raised in the faith professed by both parents at the time of the marriage.

The decision was made following news that M Indira Ghandi’s estranged husband, K Patmanathan aka Muhammad Ridzuan Abdullah, had converted their three children to Islam without her consent.