Selangor Mentri Besar Amirudin Shari speaks to reporters after an event in Shah Alam August 8, 2019. — Picture by Miera Zulyana

SHAH ALAM, August 9 — Selangor Mentri Besar Amirudin Shari said the Bill allowing for unilateral religious conversion of minors could still be tabled at the next state legislative assembly sitting, despite conflicting views on the issue.

Amirudin, who is Sungai Tua assemblyman, admitted he was going to present the proposal at the last sitting that started July 29, but also said he gave a mandate to Selangor Speaker Ng Suee Lim to decide on whether or not to allow the tabling.

“If there is a need, we will table it. Because it is on the basis that only Selangor, Penang, and Sabah have different interpretations,” Amirudin told reporters late last night after a closed-door dinner event with state PKR leaders here.

He told reporters he had discussed with state leaders whether or not to proceed with the Bill to amend the Selangor state Islamic enactment which concerns religious conversions of children below age 18 by only one parent instead of both parents.

“The discussion is on whether we want to table or not. Finally, I gave mandate for the Speaker to make a decision because the approval to bring the paper to state assembly is on nod of Speaker.

“We tried to bring it to the end of the sitting, but unfortunately something happened during the sitting. There were several motions that could not be tabled. So because of that, it was overtaken by events,” Amirudin said.

The most recent assembly sitting was originally scheduled for nine days until was cut short to two days.

Ng has denied that the shortened sitting was due to disagreement between him and the Amirudin over the Bill, saying that as the Speaker, he is only concerned with the management of the Dewan Negeri and is neutral on political matters while in the House.

The Speaker clarified that the session was adjourned due to the low turnout of assemblymen during debates on the issues tabled during the session, adding that the unilateral conversion Bill was merely a rumour and never listed on the Order Paper.

Amirudin said the Bill now needs more discussion as there isn’t a clear understanding among the assemblymen, in response to Selangor DAP’s objection to unilateral conversion of minors.

Selangor DAP chairman Gobind Singh Deo, who is also communications and multimedia minister, said the Bill is contrary to the Federal Constitution and the Federal Court’s landmark 2018 ruling against unilateral conversions to Islam, made in the case of Hindu mother M. Indira Gandhi.

“We are still in discussion as it involves a bigger matter. It also involves the Federal Constitution. That is why we still do not have a final conclusion about the papers and we need a certain understanding among the state assembly members.

“The discussion is not conclusive enough for views to be given. There are for and against views on it, there is no majority. They are all divided so perhaps that is why the Speaker felt that it is wiser for us to postpone the matter for now,” Amirudin said.

The mentri besar said the unilateral conversion proposal was raised by Selangor Islamic religious authorities to the state executive council who then held a lengthy discussion on the issue as it touches on various matters.

Tensions have built up within Selangor Pakatan Harapan as it was said there is a split among the ruling coalition’s state lawmakers over the proposed amendment which would allow the unilateral conversion of minors to Islam.

It is understood that Amirudin had planned to push through an amendment to a state enactment, which currently says that individuals below 18 must obtain the consent of both “mother and father” before converting to Islam.

The planned amendment will see a change of this wording to “mother or father”; meaning that one parent will get to decide on the conversion of a minor.

State leaders met the Selangor mentri besar at his official residence yesterday.

Amirudin was handpicked by Azmin, who was Selangor mentri besar from 2015 to last year, to succeed him after PH took power following the 14th general election last May.