By Suhaila Shahrul Annuar
HULU LANGAT, Dec 3 — Selangor is one of the nation's earliest states to implement syariah laws, said state executive councillor for Islamic religious affairs Mohd Zawawi Ahmad Mughni.
He said this development involved various aspects, including strengthening and empowering enactments.
"In Selangor, we have made enactment amendments to Islamic law several times, with the strengthening of the enactments improving over time, alongside feedback from legal practitioners and academics. All of this is crucial to strengthening syariah enactments in Selangor.
"The consolidation and empowerment of Selangor's sharia legislation enactments are quite far ahead, and there will be amendments to halal-related enactments in the future. Prior to this, the halal enactment was only one paragraph but now it has been detailed in almost four pages for legal practitioners to refer to," Mohd Zawawi said.
He was speaking at the officiation of the 'Kolokium Prospek Kerjaya Dalam Bidang Perundangan dan Kehakiman Syariah bersama Pelajar Institut Pengajian Tinggi di Selangor 2022' event for college and university students at Hotel Tenera in Bangi, earlier today.
Mohd Zawawi added the need for the field of syariah law is increasing and requires knowledgeable, authoritative and charismatic legal officers to put forth any related issues/
Meanwhile, the councillor also spoke of the state government's efforts to refine the proposal of increasing the staffing of judges in the Syariah High Court, which he said would further expand its operation and management in several of Selangor's districts in the future.
The refining of the proposal is based on current needs, as many cases have been delayed due to a lack of practitioners who can handle cases.
"We will meet with the Malaysian Syariah Judiciary Department (JKSM) concerning the matter, so it will be raised as the core issue in upholding the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965.
"At present, there are five Syariah High Court Judges in Selangor, but according to requirements there should be at least one in every district," he said.
During the event, Mohd Zawawi expressed hope that the appointment of Datuk Mohd Na'im Mokhtar as the Islamic Affairs Minister will lead to the swift resolution of pending syariah-related issues, given his background in law.
