PAS did not discuss with BN on the Islamic party bringing its proposed amendments to the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 (Act 355) to Parliament again, PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan said.

This comes after the federal government said it will not take over and table the private member's bill by PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang to amend Act 355.

"No, we never discussed with BN. It is up to the speaker on whether we can continue to bring the motion.

"We are now supposed to be given the opportunity to continue to bring up the motion. If the speaker allows, we will continue," Takiyuddin told Malaysiakini today.

Asked if Hadi would postpone the tabling of the bill as he previously did so, twice, Takiyuddin questioned why he should do so.

"No, why should he? Why postpone? We are waiting for an opportunity to submit it," he said.

Takiyuddin explained that the first time Hadi asked to postpone the tabling of the motion, it was because they wanted to be fair and let all the MPs have an opportunity to study the motion.

The second time, he said, it was because the motion was to be tabled on the last day of the parliamentary sitting of that session.

"So if we continue also, we cannot finish," he said.

Current sitting also coming to an end

Though the current parliamentary sitting is also headed to an end, Takiyuddin conceded that they would not be able to wrap up the motion this time either.

However, he said, there would now be time for them to debate the motion.

"We are ready to debate, because there are no more amendments.

"This time no more postponement, until the end, if the speaker allows," he said.

The motion to table the bill to amend Act 355 was first tabled by Hadi in last year's parliamentary sitting.

Though it was allowed, the debate and voting for the motion was postponed, upon Hadi's request.

The bill seeks to increase the maximum punishment the Syariah Courts can mete out, from its present cap of three years' imprisonment, RM5,000 fine and six lashes to 30 years' jail, RM100,000 fine and 100 lashes.

'Expect a flip-flop'

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng questioned why BN component parties did not oppose the decision to allow Abdul Hadi to table the bill by Thursday.

This decision was announced by Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi during a private briefing of BN MPs in Parliament yesterday.

"This clearly shows that the so-called BN consensus that Act 355 will not be adopted and tabled by the BN government is a farce and an exercise in mass deception of the public," said the Penang chief minister,

"Will BN flip-flop again on Hadi's bill by allowing the Dewan Rakyat Speaker to give priority for Act 355 to be tabled during the current Parliamentary sitting?”

Lim said BN can still determine the fate of the bill by allowing it to come up for debate in Parliament and even be passed.

"It is not the speaker but BN that decides," he quipped.

Lim said it is the government of the day that decides the business of Parliament, not the Speaker of Dewan Rakyat.

"The Speaker, being nominated by the BN federal government, will have to go along with the direction of BN," Lim added.

Additional reporting by Susan Loone.