iii. Application of Islamic or Syariah Law The Committee highlighted that in its previous concluding observations for Malaysia, it had encouraged the Malaysian government to take steps to increase support for law reform, one of which was through partnerships and collaboration with Islamic community leaders. In relation to that, the Committee enquired as to whether any efforts had been made by the government on this matter. Secondly, the Committee sought further clarifications on the application of Syariah Law in Malaysia. The Commission explained that in Malaysia, Islamic law is a state matter governed by each state, so there is a need for harmonisation among the states as the current application of Syariah law differs from one state to another. There is also conflict with the civil law on certain matters such as custody of children and unilateral conversion of children to Islam. At the moment, the reservations placed on Article 16 of CEDAW were partly due to the conflicts with Syariah Law as the government has consistently used the inconsistency with Islamic law as one of the factors in their reservations on international human rights treaties. The CEDAW Committee highlighted to the Commission that many countries which have incorporated Syariah Law into their legal system have moved forward with modern interpretations and applications. Therefore, it encouraged the Commission to consider the Beirut Declaration and its 18 commitments on Faith for Rights which have the objective of fostering development of peaceful societies and upholding human dignity and equality for all where diversity is not just tolerated but fully respected and celebrated. S U H A K A M A N N U A L R EPOR T 2017 17 1 On the issue of anti-corruption, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) was tasked with looking into corruption. Although there is specific anti-corruption legislation, the main issue has always been about enforcement. Furthermore, the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010 contains many gaps and does not provide adequate protection for whistleblowers. C H A P T E R The Commission highlighted that its budget was cut by 45% in 2016. This has had major consequences for SUHAKAM in upholding its mandate as it was unable to conduct a lot of advocacy and promotional campaigns relating to various matters including CEDAW and also to investigate a wider range of issues pertaining to women’s rights in Malaysia.