“Is this something the opposition doesn’t know? The opposition knows.
“They want to (play up religious) sentiments so that Muslims think this current government is against shariah law, but it has nothing to do with us,” he said, addressing an assembly of civil servants in Ayer Keroh, Melaka.
Anwar’s comments come after a nine-judge panel chaired by Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat ruled in an 8-1 majority that the Kelantan legislative assembly had no power to pass 16 provisions in its shariah enactment because the offences in question were already covered under federal law.
“What was done today (by the opposition) is dangerous. Holding a rally in front of the Federal Court as if the government is opposing shariah law.”
Anwar said people were indeed aware of the situation but that it was being politicised by the opposition.
He added that the opposition wanted to play on religious sentiments simply to portray the unity government as opposing Islam, even though the application by the two women was filed when Perikatan Nasional (PN) was in power, Bernama reported.
“It’s a law of the state of Kelantan, and the ones challenging it are Kelantanese. They challenged it in the Federal Court, not the Cabinet, not the prime minister.
“They challenged the constitutionality and legality of the law, and the court ruled it as null and void.
“The PN government did not protest before (when the legal challenge was presented). It all happened during the PN administration in 2020 and 2021. Now they are protesting and turning it into a political issue,” he said.
Anwar added that his government had established the national council for Islamic affairs, chaired by the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, to examine matters related to shariah laws used in each state.
He said previously there was no such body overseeing these matters.
Earlier today, more than 1,000 people gathered outside the Palace of Justice to protest the decision.
The Federal Court in an 8-1 majority decision today ruled that 16 provisions in the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code Enactment (I) 2019 were null and void.
The landmark decision was delivered by Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat who led a panel of nine judges after allowing an application by lawyer Nik Elin Zurina Nik Abdul Rashid and her daughter, Tengku Yasmin Nastasha Abdul Rahman, to challenge the constitutionality of the enactment.
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