The Islamic Religious Administration Enactment (Negri Sembilan) 2003 and Syariah Criminal Procedure Enactment (Negri Sembilan) 2003 are in the final stages of study to determine whether a new enactment or amendments are needed.

Menteri Besar Mohamad Hasan said this was because some of these amendments were no longer suitable for implementation in the present situation, which posed difficulties in the prosecution and conviction process.

"In Negri Sembilan, we are now in the final stages of studying all the existing enactments namely the Islamic Religious Administration Enactment including the Syariah Criminal Procedure Enactment. This is because some of these enactments are no longer suitable... some of the enactments are good but the methodology is no longer suitable while some enactments don't even have a methodology.

"So, it's difficult for us to conduct prosecution and pass judgment. Arguments can be made because of weaknesses in the administration and this will lead to flaws in the administration system and our judiciary system," he said.

The weaknesses could be exploited to belittle our syariah judiciary system, he told reporters after launching the accreditation of Negri Sembilan syarie lawyers in Seremban today, which was also attended by the state mufti Mohd Yusof Ahmad and state syarie chief judge Mohd Shukor Sabudin.

Forty-three syarie lawyers received their accreditation at the ceremony.

Commenting further, Mohamad said the study which was also participated by the mufti, state legal adviser Iskandar Ali Dewa, state syarie chief judge, academicians, legal experts and the chairperson of the syarie lawyers association, was considering whether there was a need to make amendments or draw up a new enactment.

He said the objective of the exercise was merely to empower the family legal system, religious administration, the syariah judicial system and syariah crime.

"We study all the enactments so that they truly reflect the current situation because time changes and so too is the thinking of the people. So, we must reflect the current situation as well as the current socio-culture," he said.

Meanwhile, Mohamad said in order to empower the syariah judicial system in the state, the state government had recommended and approved the establishment of the prosecution department, a separate entity which was previously placed under the state Islamic religious department.

- Bernama