PAS has urged Putrajaya to clarify whether it plans to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 (Act 355).

Party information chief Nasrudin Hassan sought this clarification following de facto Law Minister Liew Vui Keong's revelation that Putrajaya plans to amend, abolish or reintroduce about 117 laws.

"The question is, is Act 355 among the list?" he asked in a statement yesterday.

Nasrudin also urged Act 355 be included for the federal government to show that it intends to upgrade the status of the Syariah Courts.

PAS has been actively pushing for the amendments to increase the penalties which Syariah Courts can mete out – up to 30 years' jail, RM100,000 fine and 100 strokes of the cane, from the current three years' imprisonment, RM5,000 fine and six strokes of the cane.

Although the previous administration allowed the matter to be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat, it was not debated.

The current status of the amendment bill, which was tabled by PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, remains in limbo.

Earlier this week, Liew revealed that plans for the 117 bills are in the works, but was light on detail.

He said that the only bill likely to be repealed in the near term was the Sedition Act 1948, which he expected to be tabled by March next year at the latest.

In a related development, Nasrudin urged Putrajaya to provide two weeks' notice before laws are tabled for first reading in the Dewan Rakyat.

He said this was necessary because Putrajaya is expected to introduce several controversial bills, including bills on national harmony, capital punishment, political financing, freedom of information and amendments to the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976.

The Dewan Rakyat is currently debating the 11th Malaysia Plan mid-term review, and no bills have been tabled as yet.