Shahrizat brushes off criticism
February 13, 2006
New Straits Times

KUALA LUMPUR, Sun. Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil is unperturbed by criticisms that she had done a flip-flop over the controversial Islamic Family Law Act.

The Women, Family and Community Development Minister stood her ground on how she had reacted to it when it was a Bill and after it had become law.

"The problem lies with the way in which the law was interpreted and not my stand on the matter," Shahrizat said.

"No law is perfect. There will always be some confusion and grey areas."

Shahrizat was commenting on a statement by the Joint Action Group On Gender Equality (JAG) that she had changed her original stand on the Act.

It claimed that Shahrizat’s statement that the Act was Syariah-compliant ran contrary to her earlier stand that it should be amended.

Shahrizat said her ministry had discussed the matter with the Attorney-General’s Chambers and other organisations and departments in the National Technical Committee for Syariah and Civil Law.

"We will look into the Act and tidy it up," she said. "The Attorney-General will be presenting what needs to be cleaned up to the Prime Minister, and he will make the announcement on the issue.

"I am not going to choose sides on the issue. But we will also take into account the issues brought up by the NGOs over any provisions that may be unclear and cause confusion ."

Source: http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/nst/Monday/National/20060213085101/Article/index_html