PAS wants the government to show its draft of the motion to amend Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction ) Act (Act 355) it will table, before the Islamist party will agree to the matter.

"This is not final, we want to see their draft first. If it deviates from what we want, that is not right. We don't want to have duplication or contention.

"We want good cooperation in issues important to Muslims, the Syariah Court without infringing on non-Muslims. This is our approach. So we want to read their draft first," said its president Abdul Hadi Awang during a press conference in Putrajaya today.

He was responding to Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi who yesterday announced that the government had decided to take over Abdul Hadi's private member's bill to amend Act 355.

Zahid said this was because Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is committed to implementing PAS' intention without disrupting the rights of other religions and races in the country.

Hadi tabled the motion to table his private member's bill in last year's parliamentary sitting, though the debate and voting on the motion was postponed to this sitting.

The bill itself sought to amend Act 355 to give the Syariah Courts the power to impose stiffer punishments, above and beyond the previous legal limits.

Abdul Hadi argued that this was to strengthen the Syariah Courts and update its punishments to present offences, though critics believe it is to allow for the implementation of Islamic penal code hudud in PAS-held Kelantan.

Meanwhile when asked about what he hoped to see in the upcoming PAS Muktamar scheduled for the end of this month, Abdul Hadi said he wanted to see united PAS grassroots.

"What is important is to show good examples and behaviour in the muktamar, we can disagree but do not let it split us up..."

"We hope that the membership improves, not only in numbers but also in the maturity of thought, based on knowledge," he said.