KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah State Legislative Assembly today passed four enactment bills related to Islamic affairs in the state.
One of them is the Syariah Courts Enactment Bill 2024, while three other bills involve amendments, namely the Sabah Islamic Religious Council (Amendment) Bill 2024, the Syariah Court Evidence (Amendment) Bill 2024, and the Syariah Court Civil Procedure (Amendment) Bill 2024.
All the bills were tabled by state Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Datuk Mohd Arifin Mohd Arif, before being passed by a voice vote after being debated by eight speakers each from both sides of the divide during the session chaired by Deputy Speakers Datuk Richard Yong Ke Wong and Datuk Al Hambra Tun Juhar.
When tabling the bills, Mohd Arifin said the Syariah Courts Enactment Bill 2024 aims to streamline the management and administration of the state’s Syariah Courts, including matters related to jurisdiction, appointment of judges, and court proceedings.
The Sabah Islamic Religious Council (Amendment) Bill 2024 aims to add new sections to the enactment to provide for matters related to syariah prosecution and religious enforcement.
The Syariah Court Evidence (Amendment) Bill 2024 is intended to amend definitions of certain terms in Section 3 of the enactment to align with current terminology used in related laws.
The Syariah Court Civil Procedure (Amendment) Bill 2024 aims to amend definitions of certain terms in Subsection 3(1) of the enactment to align with current terminology used in related laws, including other relevant amendments.
The sitting continues tomorrow.
