SABAH SYARIAH COURT TO SIMPLEMENT MDS TO ENHANCE JUDICIAL SERVICE

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 23 (Bernama) -- The Syariah Court in Sabah will implement the Management Display System (MDS), a digital queue management system, starting next year as part of its ongoing digital transformation agenda aimed at streamlining and enhancing judicial services.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na'im Mokhtar said the implementation of the initiative is subject to the approval of necessary allocations.

"The introduction of this system is expected to strengthen the efficiency of service delivery by ensuring that administrative operations within the Sabah State Syariah Judiciary Department run more smoothly, orderly and effectively.

“This initiative is also in line with the aspiration to further enhance the quality of Syariah judicial services in Sabah,” he said during an oral question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.

He was responding to a question from Datuk Lo Su Fui (GRS-Tawau) who wanted to know the government's measures to help the Sabah Syariah Court address delays in resolving 7,466 inheritance and estate cases at the five Syariah High Courts in Sabah.

The question also covered efforts to increase the number of judges and the use of digital systems to expedite case management.

Mohd Na’im said that between 2020 and 2023, the Sabah State Syariah Court recorded a total of 10,959 cases involving applications for estate distribution and the appointment of administrators, with 93.91 per cent of them resolved.

He said that in line with the government’s efforts to strengthen the Syariah judicial service, the Public Services Department (JPA) and the Ministry of Finance have approved 28 new positions for the Sabah State Syariah Judiciary Department, including that of a Senior Syariah High Court Judge.

The addition brings the total number of Syariah High Court judges in Sabah to six, allowing for better case management and improved efficiency in handling Syariah-related matters across the state.

Responding to a question from Abdul Latiff Abdul Rahman (PN-Kuala Krai) on the issue of overlapping jurisdiction between the Syariah Court and the Civil Court, Mohd Na’im said the government is studying the possibility of amending existing legal provisions to enable inheritance cases of the Muslim community to be resolved entirely within the Syariah Court.

He said that under Budget 2026, the government had provided additional funds to the Malaysian Syariah Judicial Department (JKSM) to upgrade the e-Syariah system as well as Information and Communication Technology (ICT) facilities nationwide, to accelerate the digitalisation process of the Syariah Court

-- BERNAMA