KUALA LUMPUR - Prime Minister Najib Razak said on Friday (May 27) many people had misunderstood the so-called hudud Bill presented by the opposition Islamic party PAS in Parliament on Thursday, Malaysia media reported.

He said the private member's Bill presented by Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) chief Abdul Hadi Awang was not meant to implement Islamic criminal laws called hudud, but only to enhance certain existing punishments for local Syariah courts, the Malay Mail Online (MMO) news site reported him as saying.

"I would like to clarify to our friends in Barisan Nasional (BN) that there was a misunderstanding... I would like to state that it is not for the implementation of hudud. It is just to give the Syariah courts enhanced punishments. From six strokes caning to a few more, depending on the offences," Datuk Seri Najib was quoted as saying by MMO.

Four of the 13 BN coalition parties issued a statement yesterday to say they are against the plan to introduce Islam criminal law, which includes amputation and stoning as punishment.

But PM Najib said the Bill was only meant to strengthen the current law for Syariah courts. They could currently mete out what is called the 3-5-6 maximum punishments, namely three years' jail, a RM5,000 (S$1,688) fine or six strokes of the rotan.