KUALA LUMPUR, July 14 — The PAS-led Kelantan government’s move to amend its state Shariah enactments for caning in public shows the Islamic party’s seriousness in empowering the Shariah courts, its information chief Nasrudin Hassan said today.
“It shows a high level of seriousness in raising the authority of Shariah courts as the institution of justice for Muslims,” Nasrudin said in a statement.
However, he also acknowledged that public caning in the state is still dependent on Parliament approving the Opposition party’s federal motion to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965, also known as Act 355.
PAS is seeking to strengthen the Shariah courts’ punitive powers by lifting the ceiling on its current limits, set at RM3,000 fine, five years’ jail and six strokes of caning.
Nasrudin who is also Temerloh MP criticised those who have objected to Kelantan’s latest amendment to the state enactment as being unable to understand the party’s rational into pushing for Islamic legislations.
“They don’t understand the difference between the aspect of punishment and the measure of social defence,” he said.
Several civil society leaders, including academic Chandra Muzaffar and retired judge Datuk Noor Farida Ariffin, have criticised Kelantan’s decision to allow public caning, calling it a demonstration of PAS’ obsession with doling out punishments for offences.
“Everything that the state government does is on the basis of getting people to obey the teachings of Allah, do good and stay away from evil,” Nasrudin said.
He said that by doing so, the state is preparing a “social defence” for the people of the state.
