East Malaysians Will Fear Pas More After Public Caning Say Analysts

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Public caning is incompatible with East Malaysian values and inconsistent with its ethos of inclusivity, says Lee Kuok Tiung of UMS. (Bernama pic)
PETALING JAYA: East Malaysians will be more fearful of PAS following the public caning inflicted on a man convicted of khalwat in Terengganu, making it more difficult for the party to expand its support in Sabah and Sarawak, say analysts.
James Chin of University of Tasmania said PAS appears to be going all out to push for Malaysia to be a shariah-compliant state with a more conservative society.
He said this was already obvious in the four states the party governs in the peninsula.
James Chin.Chin expects most Sabahans and Sarawakians—even those who are Muslims—to reject such forms of punishment, saying it would likely lead to the party being shunned altogether.
“Public caning is based on Islamic law and may be expected in places like Acheh in Indonesia, but most people would not expect this to happen in Malaysia.
“The people of Sabah and Sarawak do not want an Islamic state. We have a different vision for Malaysia,” Chin told FMT.
He said a clause in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 specifically stipulates that neither Bornean state would have an official religion.
PAS has long sought to establish a stronger base in East Malaysia, where it currently has only one representative—Aliakbar Gulasan, a nominated assemblyman in Sabah.

In September, Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) vice-president Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah insisted that Sarawakians would never accept PAS’s ideology.
In 2021, PAS contested in one seat in the Sarawak state elections. State PAS secretary Arifiriazul Paijo lost the Beting Maro seat to PBB’s Razaili Gapor by 1,711 votes.
Despite the defeat, Arifiriazul managed to obtain 2,058 votes, significantly more than PKR’s Abang Zulkifli Abang Engkeh, who garnered 765 votes.
PAS did not contest in the 2020 Sabah state election. However, the party has indicated it is likely to contest at this year’s polls under the Perikatan Nasional banner.
Universiti Malaysia Sabah’s Lee Kuok Tiung also believes East Malaysians would be deterred from backing PAS by the prospect of public caning being introduced for shariah offences.
Lee Kuok Tiung.He said the punishment did not align with the socio-cultural backdrop of Sabah and Sarawak, which prioritises inclusivity and autonomy.
“Such policies could be seen as incompatible with our values and governance. Public punishment based on religious laws could be seen as inconsistent with the ethos of inclusivity.”
Last week, PAS spiritual leader Hashim Jasin urged all states to follow Terengganu’s lead by introducing publicly caning “to uphold and honour Islamic law”.
However, two Sarawakian activists rejected the idea outright, saying it was a barbaric practice and a relic of 19th century colonial rule. - FMT

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