Public caning the Taliban way, not Islam: Zaid

PETALING JAYA: Former cabinet minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim (pix) said the ruling on public caning in Kelantan is the “Taliban way” of solving social problems.
In a series of tweets, Zaid, who is a DAP member, lambasted PAS leaders for their simplicity in finding answers to society’s problems and making the matter even worse instead.
“PAS leaders and pseudo-Islamists are happy to solve society's ills by simple prescription; public canning, longer jail sentence.
“That, however, is not the Islamic way but the Taliban way. It is becoming a way of life for Malays in this corrupt nation,” he said in a tweet.
Zaid said such conditions was the reason why the Malays could not progress far even if their special privileges “are carved in gold”.
Last week, the PAS-led Kelantan State Legislative Assembly passed an amended Syariah bill that allows for offenders to be caned in public.
State speaker Datuk Abdullah Yaa’kub announced that the bill was passed with unanimous support from the state assemblymen present.
The move was largely panned by several groups, with many arguing that the introduction of public punishment is a step backward in democratic Malaysia.