KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 16 — The guillotine is a “cruel” and “inhumane” method to punish criminals, a DAP lawmaker said today, urging PAS-led Kelantan not to even consider such an option.

Kluang MP Liew Chin Tong said it was disappointing that the suggestion was mooted in the first place by PAS’s deputy mentri besar Datuk Nik Mohd Amar Abdullah.

“I fail to understand Nik Amar’s obsession,” Liew said in a statement here.

“He would do the nation a great service by focussing the public discourse not on the graphic descriptions of a particular way to amputate limbs but to return to the core issue of justice.”

Malaysia, Liew added, does not need another form of punishment, particularly when human rights proponents have been lobbying tirelessly to do away with cruel punishments like the death penalty and judicial caning.

“The reasons for opposing such cruel and irreversible methods in principle have been explained time and again,” he said.

In an interview with The Star published today, Mohd Amar said that the state-level hudud technical committee is contemplating introducing a “mini version” of the guillotine, an 18th century contraption used during the French revolution for executions by beheading.

According to the Kelantan PAS leader, with the guillotine, surgeons would no longer be needed to conduct amputations on offenders convicted under the hudud law.

Mohd Amar, who chairs the committee, conceded that medical practitioners are averse to the proposal of amputating limbs as it is in contrary to the Hippocratic Oath.

The Hippocratic Oath states, among others, that doctors must never do harm to anyone, and must do what is best for their patients.

“The surgeon must first agree to carry out the procedure but he is likely to face the wrath of the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) for violating the Hippocratic Oath,” he was quoted saying in the local English daily.

In April, the MMA warned that it will seek to disqualify surgeons who perform the unethical amputations on criminals convicted under hudud, reminding doctors that they are bound by their professional ethics to do no harm.

The MMA represents 14,000 out of 37,000 doctors in Malaysia.

Mohd Amar has been steadfast in his opinion that amputations under hudud is a far more effective penalty compared to the existing Penal Code’s jail terms, as it does not burden taxpayers.

But the Kelantan state lawmaker added that due consideration would be given before sentences are meted out for offenders who steal due to hunger or other compelling circumstances.

In 1993, the PAS state government passed the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code Enactment II, but the strict Islamic penal code has not been enforced due to conflicts with the Federal Constitution.

The state formed the technical committee after state government announced in April that it is gearing up present two Private Member’s Bills to Parliament, hoping to remove all obstacles to its implementation of the hudud law in Kelantan by 2015.

But PAS is facing unyielding resistance from its Pakatan Rakyat (PR) partners PKR and DAP, and has said it hopes to get the necessary votes from Umno MPs in order to get the bill approved. The Islamist party will need a simple majority of 112 votes for this.

In Islamic jurisprudence, “hudud” covers crimes such as theft, robbery, adultery, rape and sodomy.

Punishments for the crimes are severe, including amputation, flogging and death by stoning.