Public caning will shame Malaysia as well

MCA's Ng Chok Sin says enhancing the power of shariah courts will see society descend towards fault finding, moral policing and holier-than-thou attitudes.

PETALING JAYA: MCA has condemned the Kelantan state government’s move to stage a public demonstration to show how public caning under Islamic law differs from that of the same punishment under civil law.

The Barisan Nasional component party’s religious harmony bureau deputy chairman Ng Chok Sin said there is no need for any such move by PAS, as the world has already witnessed such public caning in actuality from Islamic states and regimes.

“Countries practising public caning have shown that it draws out the worst of humanity whereby such corporal punishments descend into sadistic feasting for the eyes as crowds of spectators will gather and cheer on each lashing like as if the raised stage is some circus stunt or performance,” Ng said in a statement released today, referring to videos shared from countries or territories with have such laws, including Aceh (Indonesia), Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan and Somalia.

“Photographing or video recording such scenes is akin to judicial penalties being glamourised or ‘commercialised’ without monetary reward.”

Earlier today, it was reported that Kelantan exco Mohamed Fadzli Hassan said the public caning demonstration aims to show that under shariah law, it does not injure a person, but only serves as a lesson for the wrongdoer.

MCA’s Ng said that the caning lacks humanity and could not possibly rehabilitate a wrongdoer.

“It is targeted for maximum humiliation and stigmatisation against the offender. Not only is the person stigmatised, but his family members too.

“Equally unfortunate, Malaysia too will suffer humiliation as the world will respond with outrage besides frowning at us through negative lenses as unstable and uncivilised, similar to the uproar elicited against the aforementioned nations,” Ng said, explaining the greater impact on the country.

Ng also suggested that the enhancing of the power of shariah courts will see society descend towards fault finding, moral policing and holier-than-thou attitudes against intoxication and victims of sexual assaults.

“The focus will then be taken away from addressing real crime or social issues like cybercrime, incest, or the mat rempit menace or ketum addiction among Kelantan youths,” Ng said.

Kelantan MCA liaison committee secretary Lua Choon Hann weighed in on the issue, saying that the proposed amendments to the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) 1965 (Act 355) will also violate the Criminal Procedure Code, which prohibits lashing of female offenders.

“Having separate types of whipping – one for Muslims and the other for non-Muslims for the same crime, or for offences not deemed a crime for non-Muslims, like alcohol consumption or false accusation of rape are thereby ultra vires of the Federal Constitution which guarantees equality before the law,” Lua said. FMT