UMNO AGM An Umno delegate today claimed that non-Muslim opposition members are against the private member’s bill to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 because they want the country’s Muslims to continue committing sins.

Terengganu delegate Mohd Iskandar Jaafar said the light punishments currently meted out under the Act were among the reasons why various social ills among Malay youths were rampant.

Citing current statistics, the Setiu Umno Youth chief said there were more than 153,000 illegitimate children.

“Non-Muslim opposition members reject the upgrade of the punishments as they see an opportunity – they see that Malays should be left to continue living in sin,” said Iskandar.

The opposition, consequently, would then take over the country’s administration, he said.

He further claimed that should the bill be passed, Muslims would return to the true teachings of Islam.

“They are worried that with the upgrade in punishments, Muslims will be protected from making mistakes,” he added.

Iskandar, earlier in his speech, cited how Umno president Najib Abdul Razak had confirmed that the government will take over the private member’s bill.

This, Iskandar pointed out, showed Umno’s seriousness and consistency in championing Islam.

As such, Iskandar believed that others should no longer accuse Umno of being a "taghut" (worship of anything except Allah) party.

“I remember how some opposition friends had branded Umno as taghut as Umno was half politics and the other half religion."

Umno, however, had long fought for Islam as early as 1965 when the party’s lawmakers debated and subsequently passed the Act, he pointed out.

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang sought to raise the sentencing limit of the syariah courts from a maximum RM3,000 fine, six strokes of the whip and five-year jail limit to maximum 30 years' jail, RM100,000 fine and 100 strokes of the whip.

On Nov 22, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi briefed Muslim MPs on Hadi's bill.

During the meeting, it was decided that a proposal would be submitted to Najib to urge him to form a parliamentary select committee, consisting of Muslim and non-Muslim MPs, to review the bill after it is tabled in Parliament.