KUALA LUMPUR, July 11 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today said the Mufti (Federal Territories) Bill will be referred to the Conference of Rulers, possibly next week.
He said for now, the Bill is being discussed by field experts.
“We are discussing and listening to expert views… There are no disputes regarding the Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaah and reference to Syafie, Hanafi, Maliki or Hambali (schools of thought) and other opinions.
“The details are being discussed and I leave it to the experts,” he told reporters after attending the Global Madani Forum 2024 themed ‘Catalysing the Next Civilisational Revival’ here today.
The two-day forum was attended by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Mohd Na’im Mokhtar, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir, Human Resources Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong and Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul.
On another development, Anwar said he will not rule out bribery as to why the effort to eradicate prostitution in the capital is unsuccessful, even though enforcement actions are often taken.
However, he said, the government under his leadership had taken drastic measures to combat the activity since last year, including instructions given to the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa and Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Seri Kamarulzaman Mat Salleh.
“I believe if there are prostitution or gambling dens, there must be elements of bribery,” he said, adding that such immoral activities have existed for far too long.
Anwar said this in response to the claim that prostitution activities in Kuala Lumpur have not been eradicated, while Indonesia has managed to shut down the Dolly red-light district in Surabaya, purportedly the biggest in Southeast Asia.
— Bernama
