PAS will introduce tougher punishments for shariah offences if it captures five states in the next general election.

“PAS will be able to implement tougher punishments for shariah offences if we can take a minimum of five states after GE14 and pass RUU355 in Parliament,” said Nik Mohammad Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz today.

“We will have enough power to change the state enactments for shariah laws,” he added during his opening speech at the PAS Youth general assembly in Alor Star.

The son of former spiritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat said that he was confident that the Youth wing can help PAS win a minimum of 40 seats at GE14.

He asked the PAS central committee to consider putting more PAS Youth candidates in GE14 as 60% of the electorate are young voters.

RUU355 refers to a motion to amend the Shariah Court (Criminal Jurisdiction Act) 1965 to raise the shariah courts’ jurisdiction to maximise jail sentences to 30 years, RM100,000 fine and 100 strokes of the cane.

A private member’s bill was tabled in the Dewan Rakyat by PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang on the last day of the first Parliament meeting on April 6. The motion, however, was not debated as Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia ended the session sine die. – April 27, 2017.