Hakam kritik gesaan Hadi mansuh ‘undang-undang era penjajah’

Presiden PAS, Abdul Hadi Awang, has urged for the annulment of all colonial-era laws, as they hinder Islam from overcoming "human-made laws." This stance has been criticized by the National Human Rights Committee (Hakam), which expressed concern over the misuse of colonial-era legal justifications to portray Malaysia's constitutional framework as an imposed foreign imposition.

Hakam's President, M Ramachelvam, highlighted that the argument of colonial limits to sharia power being mere "colonial" constraints to be eliminated is misguided. He emphasized that the issue is not whether a law has colonial historical origins, but whether it is valid under Malaysia's current constitutional framework. Ramachelvam pointed out that the Reid Commission was established to draft a constitution for the autonomous and independent Federation of Malaya, following extensive consultations with political leaders, public representatives, and Malay rulers.

The resulting constitutional framework, he argued, was not a colonial document imposed on Malaya, but the result of wide-ranging political, public, and royal consultations. He also stressed that the powers of the state and federal governments, as well as the civil and sharia courts, are defined within the constitutional framework, with Islam recognized as the national religion.

Ramachelvam further stated that laws can be amended or annulled, but such changes must be based on the merits of the legislation and its constitutionality, not on a narrative of struggle between colonial laws and sharia laws. The President of PAS insisted that political leaders have a deep and serious responsibility to ensure that public discourse on such fundamental matters as religion, law, and constitutional rights does not become a tool for fear, hatred, or mistrust among the populace.