The Government of Prime Minister Najib Razak has made it official: It is dropping the Bill to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act or RUU 355.
The shocker came after Najib made the official statement, pointing out the Barisan Nasional (BN) government will stick to the principle of consensus.
Najib, who is the BN chairman, said it will remain a Private Member’s Bill and its fate now rests in the hands of the Speaker of the Parliament.
In an immediate response, MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said it was a good decision by Barisan.
“Barisan still sticks to the spirit of consensus,” he said, adding that MCA strongly opposes the Bill.
Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai last Friday said the Cabinet did not discuss the Federal Government-led Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act amendments at its meeting, sparking rumours that it was off the table.
“There’s no new development on the RUU 355 Bill. It was not brought up in today’s meeting,” Liow said to the local media.