SHAH ALAM: The Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah expressed displeasure at Pas President Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang for the latter's recent statement which were directed to religious scholars, lawyers, judges, members of parliament, State Legislative Assemblies and the Malay rulers.
The ruler was refering to Hadi's statement titled 'The Stature of Islam Must Be Defended' on Feb 20 on the pas.org.my news portal.
Sultan Sharafuddin's Private Secretary Datuk Muhamad Munir Bani said His Majesty expressed disappointment at what was said and sent a letter sent to Selangor Pas Commissioner Datuk Dr Ab Halim Tamuri dated Feb 27.
"Among the essence of the letter, His Majesty described Tan Sri Hadi, who made an open statement on social media as not having thoroughly understood or read the message contained in His Majesty's speech during the meeting of the Malaysian National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs (MKI) on Feb 15.
"This is especially in relation to the decision of the Federal Court in the Nik Elin (Zurina Nik Abdul Rashid's) case which challenged the validity of 16 criminal provisions in the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Enactment 2019.
"Hadi's cynical statement indirectly linked His Majesty's speech with the attitude of rulers, who need to possess a vision towards Judgement Day and not to merely pursue worldly interests; and this statement is very inappropriate and uncivilised from the point of view of Malay culture, which is all about respecting and maintaining good manners when voicing one's opinion and advice towards the Malay rulers.
"Tan Sri Hadi's statement is not only confusing but could create uneasiness which could ultimately lead to disunity among Muslims, especially among the Malays in this country," he said.
Munir said if Hadi had been more careful when making his statement by studying Sultan Sharafuddin's decree more carefully, he would have understood it better.
"Why is he questioning the status of the Federal Constitution as the country's main law even when Islam has been determined as the Federal religion since the constitution was drafted since 1957.
"His Majesty advised Tan Sri Hadi to be more careful in the future so as to not repeat any act of insult towards the Malay rulers through his statements which could cause disunity among Muslims in this country.
"His Majesty has also decreed for political members and leaders to avoid using Islam to tarnish the religion's sanctity mrerely for their respective partisan political interests," he said.
On Feb 15, Sultan Sharafuddin had urged all parties must respect the decisions of the Federal Court and the position of the constitution as the supreme law of the country.
His Majesty, who serves as the Malaysian National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs (MKI) chairman, had said this in response to the Federal Court's decision to nullify 16 provisions under the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code (1) Enactment 2019.
On Feb 9, the Federal Court had ruled that 16 provisions in Kelantan Syariah Law are unconstitutional.
( https://www.nst.com.my/news/crime-courts/2024/02/1011434/updated-16-prov... )
Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, who led a nine-member panel of judges, made the landmark ruling today following a 8-1 majority verdict.
