DHPP Information Chief Balachandran G Krishnan said Act 355 should not have been politicised as the law’s implementation is the Muslims’ right, and that non-Muslims should not oppose such matters.
“We can explain it to (MCA, MIC, DAP and the non-Muslims) and tell them why Act 355 should be respected.
“Why has this issue become a problem?
“The bill to amend Act 355 was tabled personally by the PAS president (Abdul Hadi Awang).
“I think that this matter has been politicised by certain parties,” Balachandran said.
“DHPP has been taught about why the amendment to Act 355 is necessary.
“We want to ensure that non-Muslims understand and respect other religions just as we want others to respect ours,” he told FMT.
PAS has proposed amendments to the Shariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965, also known as Act 355 to enable shariah courts to impose stiffer punishment to offenders.
A private member’s bill, introduced by PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang, is to be debated at the next Parliament session.
Its opponents say the changes are a guise for PAS to implement hudud in Kelantan and later elsewhere.
Meanwhile, DHPP Chairman P Balasubramaniam said he and his members had travelled all over the country explaining the matter to non-Muslims.
“They accept it, except that the Chinese face a little trouble in that regard.
“However, they became more accepting once we explained it to them.”
Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organisations (Mapim) President Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid has said that efforts to educate the public on changes to Act 355 need to be stepped up as most still do not understand why the amendments were proposed in the first place.
“So far, more than 20 Muslim NGOs are actively explaining the matter, but only 30% of the relevant information has reached the public.
“Muslim NGOs need to aggressively deliver the facts to all levels of society so that there is no confusion.
“Even if the non-Muslims disagree, at least there will be no misunderstanding.”