“Today, many Malays are trapped by the values of the Taliban because they have been indoctrinated as a means of consolidating political and economic power of the elites,” the former minister wrote on his blog today, referring to the Islamist militant group that took Afghanistan by storm in the 1990s and imposed its strict version of Islamic laws.
Zaid said Malays were once known for their “gentle character” and their ability to “accommodate differences”, but had now lost those values to Talibanisation.
He said they had also been taken for a ride by their leaders.
“These leaders think they need to emulate the culture of the Taliban to show they are good Muslims.”
A Kelantan state exco member recently said the state planned to hold a public caning demonstration to show the difference between whipping done under civil laws and Islamic laws.
“We do not hit until the flesh is torn,” Mohamed Fadzli Hassan was quoted as saying by a daily.
“We want the public to understand that the punishment is not aimed at injuring a person. It is meant to teach wrongdoers a lesson with the hope that they do not repeat the offence.”
Zaid said those behind the plan were “hypocrites”, adding that public caning would be a painful and traumatic experience, especially for young offenders who might be scarred for life.
“Is public shaming how these Muslim hypocrites view ‘justice’?” he asked.
The DAP member said the “wave of Talibanisation” had changed the character of many Malays “beyond recognition”.
“Maybe Malays now are so different that ‘Taliban justice’ is attractive to them.
“Under the rule of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his supporters in PAS, Malays have been truly transformed.”
A private member’s bill by PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang to give shariah courts wider powers is set for debate during the current sitting of the Dewan Rakyat.
The bill to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 would increase the maximum punishment on Muslim offenders to 30 years’ jail, 100 lashes of the cane and RM100,000 for fines.