Khalid said there were two reasons for this.
“Firstly, it will serve as a serious deterrent against committing these crimes.
“At present, 90 per cent of the perpetrators plead guilty because it is cheaper to pay the fine than hire a lawyer.”
He said at present, since everyone was pleading guilty, the judges and lawyers were not given a chance to sharpen their skills through trials.
With higher fines and jail sentences, he expected things to change.
So, the second reason is that it will help develop expertise in the courts through more trials.
Asked whether he would support the PAS bill, tabled in the Dewan Rakyat in May to enhance the punishments that shariah courts can impose, Khalid said Amanah had asked the party to explain it in detail.
“it would depend on what PAS says.
“Instead of just providing rhetoric, as PAS has been doing all this while, it should be explaining the technical aspects of the Bill.”
He stressed that until PAS could comprehensively explain how the bill would empower the shariah courts, Amanah’s decision on the bill remained in limbo.
“We hope that PAS can respond to our queries as soon as possible. If not then we’ll have to discuss with component parties based only on what we already know and we will come to a decision on the matter before the next parliamentary proceedings.”
On Sept 6, Khalid had requested through the media that Marang MP and PAS President Hadi Awang explain the implications of his private member’s bill.
He said Amanah would present a formal letter to Hadi today and give him until Sept 30 to respond.
Hadi’s bill is scheduled for debate next month when Parliament reconvenes.
Amanah Legal Bureau Deputy Chairman Wan Anwar Wan Ibrahim today suggested that the reason Hadi had failed to explain how his Bill would further empower shariah courts is because it was tabled without prior discussion with the relevant stakeholders.
He said these stakeholders included the Jabatan Kehakiman Syariah Malaysia (JKSM) or Department of Shariah Judiciary Malaysia, state governments, lawyers, Members of Parliament and assemblymen.
Wan Anwar said prior discussion with stakeholders was important before tabling any bill as they were directly involved in the shariah justice system.
“The Marang MP’s bill is not only unclear and confusing, but does not give any indication on how the shariah courts will be empowered through the bill, apart from increasing punishments, which have clearly increased fear and misunderstanding among the people.”
Kota Raja MP Siti Mariah Mahmud, who was also present, said it was unlikely that Hadi had not known of news reports since Sept 6 requesting him to explain the bill.
“Politicians are always monitoring news reports and should be up to date with current events, especially those that involved their own parties.
“That was why we didn’t feel the need to write an official letter to him before this.”
Hadi’s bill seeks to amend the Shariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act to expand their powers so that the shariah courts in Kelantan, which operate under state law, may impose harsher Islamic criminal penalties.