KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 28 ― Putrajaya should amend a 14-year-old printer’s mistake in the Federal Constitution that is the root of conflict between the civil and Shariah courts on interfaith child custody disputes, the G25 Muslim group said today.
The group comprising former senior civil servants including members of the judiciary pointed out in a statement that Article 12 (4) of the Federal Constitution, which dealt with a proviso on conversion of minors had been arbitrarily changed in newer editions after 2002, which altered its original meaning.
The group said the original Bahasa Malaysia translation for the Federal Constitution proviso ― which was in English ― had indicated that consent from both parents were required in deciding a child’s religion, but the word “atau” [meaning “or”] was inserted after 2002 that indicated either a mother or a father could decide on their offspring’s faith.
The group further highlighted that the revision was not followed up with the necessary amendment through Parliament.
“In the meantime, we would also urge the Government to rectify the mistake made by the Government Printers in the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Federal Constitution and restore the translation of ‘parent’ to the original ‘ibu bapa’,” G25 said. Read more
