Catholic Bishop Emeritus Dr Paul Tan Chee Ing said PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang’s private member’s bill to enhance the powers of the Shariah courts is the “penultimate step in the Islamisation of the country.”

“If his bill is passed, we would have crossed the Rubicon in terms of Islamisation of Malaysia,” opined the Jesuit-trained prelate in remarks to Malaysiakini.

The bill that Bishop Paul is referring to seeks to lift the limits, except proscription of the death penalty, on punishments decreed by the Islamic penal code for offences under Shariah law.