PANEL ON ISLAM TO GET INSTITUTIONS’ VIEWS
Chairman: Panel also aims to promote harmony in multiracial, multi-faith society
THE High-Level Panel on Federal Institutions of Islam will call representatives from 102 institutions to gather feedback to improve the institutions.
Its chairman, Tun Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid, said the institutions comprised five clusters: Islamic agencies; finance and economy; education; syariah and legislation; and, political and non-governmental organisations.
He said the data-gathering process would involve academicians, representatives from organisations, journalists and the public.
“The panel secretary will send an invitation to those listed soon. They will be required to send two representatives to a meeting with the panel.
“The panel also welcomes any written memorandum from the public that can be handed to its secretary,” he said after chairing the panel’s first meeting at the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal office yesterday.
Sarji said among the panel’s functions was to create harmony in a multiracial and multi-religious community.
“We will call institutions or councils from other religions to give them a chance to hand over memoranda, or air their views before the panel.”
He said panel members would meet in a closed conference three days a week for five months at the old Istana Negara, with the final report to be presented to Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V in January.
“Each report, feedback, information, memorandum and opinion submitted to the panel will be confidential.”
Earlier, Sarji, along with six panel members, received letters of appointment handed by Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal Tan Sri Syed Danial Syed Ahmad, who was also appointed the panel’s secretary.
The other members are Datuk Dr Afifi al-Akiti, who is also the panel’s deputy chairman, Professor Emeritus Tan Sri Dr Mohd Kamal Hassan, Datuk Nooh Gadut and Datuk Wan Mohamad Sheikh Abdul Aziz.
The other two additional members who also received their letters of appointment were Sabah Law and Native Affairs Minister Datuk Aidi Mokhtar and Sarawak Assistant State Rural Electricity Minister Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi.