KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 15 — The Kelantan state government announced today that Sunday will be a state holiday in conjunction with a PAS rally to advocate enhancing Shariah punishments.
“This is to enable government workers and residents to attend the ‘Himpunan 355’ rally on February 18, 2017, at Padang Merbok, Kuala Lumpur,” Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Yakob said in a statement.
PAS, together with several non-governmental organisations (NGOs), is organising a rally this Saturday to gather support for PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang’s private member’s Bill to amend the Shariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 (Act 355).
Kelantan, which is governed by the Islamist party, has Friday and Saturday as its weekend.
A counter-rally by a movement known as BEBAS will be held from 3pm to 5pm at Taman Tasik Jaya in Petaling Jaya. The counter-rally’s venue was shifted from Padang Merbok after PAS announced that it would be shifting to that field.
Hadi’s Bill aims to raise the ceiling on Shariah punishments from three years’ imprisonment, six strokes of the cane and an RM5,000 fine to 30 years’ imprisonment, 100 strokes, and a RM100,000 fine.
