PETALING JAYA: A listless economy, pleasure-seeking youths, prostitution, baby dumping and all sorts of social ills still plague Kelantan without concrete solutions from the state’s leaders except to demand harsher penalties, laments former minister Zaid Ibrahim.

“To talk of sins and heavenly rewards is not difficult. To impose penalties that they have determined is also not difficult. To solve human problems and ease their burden, that is difficult,” the former MP for Kota Bharu said.

He said the social ills in Kelantan, styled by PAS as the “Verandah of Mecca”, had been admitted by the party’s leaders when they recently defended the need for public caning.

“During a time when the people are faced with various economic and social problems, all that the leaders of Umno and PAS can talk about are sins and heavenly rewards and public caning.

“It is as if this is the most pressing issue currently,” Zaid told FMT.

The Kelantan state assembly, on July 12, passed an amendment to the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Procedure Enactment 2002 which, among other provisions, allowed for caning to be done in public.

The amendment would also allow religious enforcement officers to handcuff suspects and the admission of video recordings as evidence in trials.

The measure was supported by several Umno leaders.

Zaid said PAS leaders were fond of taking the easy route by faulting parents for not providing religious education to their children but still failed to solve the problem of crimes in the state despite much police efforts.

“PAS always look for the easy way which is why they tell people to vote the party to enable them to go to heaven,” he added.

Zaid regretted that a small number of professionals and academics also supported public caning.

“These so-called Islamic professionals and academics are unable to suggest more effective measures to overcome human problems. They take pleasure in using the name of Islam to defend their actions but ignore the interests of humans.

“This is because they are fake leaders,” he said.

Zaid called on the Kelantan people to choose leaders who would truly solve their problems.

“Seek out leaders who can convince banks that close their branches in Kelantan to reopen them. Seek out leaders who can clean up the towns so flash floods will not recur.

“Find ways to provide training to youths who are jobless and loitering in shopping complexes or taking part in illegal motorcycle racing, so as to foster interest in them to work.

“Now is the time for the Kelantan people to choose leaders who are not fake,” said Zaid.