Veteran Umno leader Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah today said he has yet to decide whether to vote for or against proposed amendments to the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965.

"We have to wait," the Gua Musang MP told reporters when met after a hudud forum organised by his NGO, Angkatan Amanah Merdeka, at the Universiti Malaya Alumni Clubhouse today.

During the forum, UiTM legal adviser Prof Shad Saleem Faruqi had reiterated that the proposed amendments were unconstitutional as it violated, among others, provisional guarantees for equality under the law as well as against freedom of religion.

Tengku Razaleigh had previously said he would vote against any bill that is deemed to be unconstitutional.

Asked whether it can be concluded that he would vote against the Bill based on Shad Saleem's arguments, Tengku Razaleigh said: "If you interpret like that. I have yet to make my decision."

The veteran politician also stressed that Shad Saleem had raised valid points based on his background as a constitutional law expert.

"We heard from many who were present at today's forum, they were still unsatisfied.

"Based on the views raised, it shows that some of the things which has been done (in the process of amending Act 355)is unconstitutional," he said, citing as example amendments passed to the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code II.

The Kelantan state assembly had in 2015 passed the amendments that critics claimed would pave the way for implementation of hudud through introducing higher penalties for crimes already punishable under civil law - for example theft and robbery.

Meanwhile, Tengku Razaleigh was similarly coy when asked whether all MPs should be given the freedom to vote according to their conscience on the Act 355 Amendment Bill first tabled by PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang.

"I don't know why that question should be raised because the Bill is presented by PAS. Not presented by other members of Parliament.

"There are only 14 PAS MPS and it's up to them to support or not," he said, adding that in the past, a private member's bill "will never see the light of day".

On the government's intention to take over Hadi's Bill at the parliament session next month, Tengku Razaleigh only said: "They haven't. We'll cross the bridge when we come to it."

Prime minister and Umno president Najib Abdul Razak in his opening speech at the party's annual general assembly in December announced that the government will be taking over Hadi's Bill but urged all quarters to not politicise the matter.

Hadi's bill seeks to raise the sentencing limit of the syariah court from a maximum RM3,000 fine, six strokes of the rotan and five-year jail limit to maximum 30 years' jail, RM100,000 fine and 100 strokes of the rotan.