DAP would decide on a course of action only when the situation became clear, he said in response to a question posed by a participant in his “teh tarik session” here last night.
“It’s not fair to take a hypothetical position,” he said. “We have to see first what is PPBM’s stand on Act 355. Then we can see how we can react. I don’t think we can jump the gun.
“But our position on Act 355 is very clear. We think it’s against the constitution, we do not think it is something that is good for the country, and there is a need for a deeper discussion on the implications of the bill.”
He was referring to PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang’s private member’s bill to amend the act. PAS is proposing enhancements to the shariah courts’ punitive powers.
PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Man recently claimed that PPBM president Muhyiddin Yassin had agreed in principle to the proposed amendments.
But in a press conference on Tuesday, Muhyiddin denied the claim. He said he had told Tuan Ibrahim that PPBM would not take a stand before a Dewan Rakyat debate on the bill.
The amendments, if passed, will allow shariah courts to impose a jail term of up to 30 years, a fine of up to RM100,000 and caning of up to 100 strokes.
Currently, the shariah criminal punishment is capped at a three-year prison term, RM5,000 fine and six strokes of the cane.