PETALING JAYA: Lawmaker Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham, who had sparked controversy over his suggestions to strengthen the syariah court system for Muslims, has apologised and retracted his earlier statement calling for non-Muslims to be included in a special committee formed by the Federal Government to study the Syariah law.
The Beruas MP from DAP said it was not his intention to interfere in the management of Islamic affairs and that he had initially thought the government was seeking proposals to amend the Federal Constitution.
In his Dec 28 statement, Ngeh had suggested that the special committee to study proposals to strengthen the Syariah Court’s role include non-Muslim legal experts.
“I had thought that this process included proposals to amend the Federal Constitution.
“My suggestion was to ensure that all views are taken into consideration before any proposed amendments are made,” Ngeh said on his Facebook page yesterday.
“Until it was clarified recently, I did not know that the special committee had actually been formed by the National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs (MKI) that is chaired by Selangor Ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah,” Ngeh wrote.
“Therefore, I retract my suggestion and wholeheartedly apologise. I had absolutely no intention of interfering in Islamic affairs,” he added.
On Friday, Sultan Sharafuddin, said that non-Muslims must refrain from interfering in matters relating to Islamic affairs.
Through the Facebook page of the Selangor Royal Office, Sultan Sharafuddin expressed hope that politicians, especially non-Muslims, will be careful with their comments on Islamic matters.
“Instead, non-Muslims should emulate Muslims, who do not interfere in the religious affairs of other faiths in Malaysia,” said His Royal Highness, who added that the special committee consists of experts who are well-versed in various aspects involving legal and Islamic affairs.
Several political parties, including PAS, Umno and Bersatu, had taken Ngeh to task over his suggestion and described it as “provocative”.
