Rais: It’s the first step to separating politics from Islamic affairs
KUALA LUMPUR: The formation of a high-level panel on the federal institutions of Islam will allow the Malay rulers to carry out their function in managing Islamic affairs as enshrined in the Constitution.
Veteran politician Tan Sri Dr Rais Yatim, who lauded the formation of the panel, said it was the first step to separating politics from Islamic affairs.
He said the panel should make recommendations on handling Islamic economics so that better transparency could take place, especially in applying Islamic values.
“There are a lot of gaps in the Islamic economic administration, so much so that the Malay rulers have no role in determining its direction. It should not be that way as the rulers should be involved and relate life to Islamic economics, among which is a need to establish a system taught in the Quran,” he said yesterday.
The panel was established with the consent of the Malay rulers. The Keeper of The Rulers’ Seal was appointed as its secretariat.
It was created to conduct a review of the administration of Islam at the federal level.
Rais said it should widen its function to other related rulers’ tasks, especially on the Malay interpretation in Article 160.
“Three components in the Malay interpretation have never been studied in detail, some involving customs and culture. If they are forgotten and neglected, we lack the condition (on the definition) of Malays as stated in the Constitution.
“I recommend this high-level panel to focus on things related to Islam, language, customs and culture, which are very important for us to foster.”
Rais, who is a former cabinet minister, hoped this panel could coordinate matters related to religion between the states and federal, such as the wakaf and fatwa.
“Most importantly, the panel should not be ashamed to reprimand agencies like Jakim, which has made many political decisions in the past,” he said, stating that they should operate based on the fundamentals of “retaining what is good and leaving out what is bad”.