I refer to the report Nyonya Tahir - a landmark judgment .

It looks like after all the pressure and the condemnation of the articles of the federal constitution, the Syariah Court has decided in favour of a Malay woman who lived as a non-Muslim all her life. It is a new beginning for Malaysia and it is a welcome sign that the government is trying to make amends for its old ways in handling sensitive religious issues which can either make or break our composition as Malaysians.

If the administration of Islamic justice can mete out fair judgments based on facts and evidence that have been tendered before it, then non-Muslims will be in a position to trust the system that has all the while been very unfriendly towards them. If the Syariah Court judges are braver and bolder than the civil court judges then non-Muslims can be rest assured that the syariah system can be trusted and justice will be seen to be done to all litigants who come before it, regardless of whether they are Muslim or non-Muslims.

It is not something that we need to show the world but as Malaysians, we have been entrenched in such a mindset that we are really an Asian race. If we decide that religion will be the divide amongst us then, we are treading into areas where other Asian nations like India and Pakistan have gone into and fought wars over. We are recognised by the world for our progress but at the same time we are also being monitored on how we govern ourselves. When we talk in international forums others are looking to see whether we practise what we preach.

It is a very good beginning for the syariah court system, it has gone where the civil courts were afraid to tread. This might open the floodgates in litigation that is going to be filed in the Syariah courts. The public must be assured that we have the best scholars in religion and law sitting as judges in the syariah courts. These judges should be sensitive to the Malaysian context of life.

This sensitivity must be extended to the non-Muslims who come before them seeking justice in syariah law. Judicial activism must be encouraged and the judges must be bold enough to tell Parliament that the laws are just not adequate, or not in line, with the contingencies that a case can come with.

There is a Indian Muslim girl who had recently applied to renounce her current faith and adopted the Hindu faith as she has been practically brought up as a Hindu. She has failed in getting a declaration from the High Court but with new developments, the Syariah Court could be a better forum.

The Abdullah administration has been promising change and a better delivery system but change has been slow to come. The frontline needs re-education and the public needs reassurance that what we hold dear in the Rukun Negara, that is "Kedaulatan Perlembagaan" (Supremacy of the Constitution) will be the adhered to in every facet of our lives as Malaysians.