KANGAR, Dec 28 — Datuk Hashim Jasin has reportedly urged all states administrated by PAS to prepare for the implementation of public caning as a Shariah punishment, following Terengganu’s implementation yesterday.
The Islamist party’s spiritual adviser was quoted congratulating Terengganu for implementing public caning, saying it should serve as an example for other states to follow in enforcing Islamic laws.
“Public caning is neither cruel nor humiliating but serves as an awareness tool, not only for offenders but also for those witnessing the punishment.
“It is not meant to harm but to educate, and after the caning, the individual is considered free from further punishment,” he told Malay daily Utusan Malaysia.
Hashim also asserted that state administrations that implement God’s law will result in them being blessed.
Besides Terengganu, Perikatan Nasional and PAS govern Kelantan, Kedah, and Perlis, although no similar measures have been announced in these states.
Public caning is uncommon in Malaysia and other Islamic-majority nations, with Terengganu being the first state in the country to implement it.
Terengganu carried out its first public caning yesterday, where a 42-year-old man convicted of repeated “khalwat”, or close proximity with the opposite sex. He received six strokes of the cane.
The sentence was handed down by the Kuala Terengganu Shariah High Court after the man pleaded guilty under Section 31(a) of the Shariah Criminal Offences (Takzir) (Terengganu) Amendment Enactment 2022.
The enactment had come into effect in January this year.
