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PAS' moral policing a failure, says Kelantan MCA
Published:  Mar 17, 2017 11:06 AM
Updated: 1:44 PM

PAS' Kelantan government has failed to address the state's social ills despite its strict religious policing, said the state's MCA.

“Kelantan can be the perfect case study to dispel the notion that immoral activities can be curbed simply by controlling entertainment. We do not even have cinemas here.

“Health authorities have acknowledged the existence of free sex practices in the state based on a study on HIV cases,” Kelantan MCA deputy chief Tan Ken Ten was quoted by The Star as saying today.

According to the English daily, Tan also attributed HIV cases to promiscuity and homosexual activities.

Tan was responding to PAS MP Nasrudin Hassan’s claims in Parliament that scanty attire, concerts and provocative music were the main causes of immoral behaviour in the country.

The state MCA leader rebutted Nasrudin's moral stance claiming social problems and rapes were on the rise in Kelantan.

Kelantan HIV on rise

The Star also cited 11,000 HIV-positive cases in Kelantan from 2001 to 2016, and 2,255 Kelantanese deaths due to AIDS during the same period.

It cited Deputy Home Minister Masir Kujat attributing the rise of HIV cases in the PAS-run state to "promiscuity and an unhealthy lifestyle, such as 'switching sex partners'”.

Masir was also reported revealing HIV infections from homosexual activities doubled from 10 in 2015 to 20 last year, while those from heterosexual relationships also increased from 40 to 50.

PAS, which is pursuing amendments to the syariah punishment limits to remove the federal obstacle to Kelantan's hudud laws passed at state level in 2015, has often been criticised for failure to curb social problems despite its hardline stand on Islamic laws.

Earlier this year, Tourism Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz commented PAS wants stiffer punishments for Kelantan because the party has failed in its Islamic quest for the state.

"PAS has failed to make Kelantan an Islamic state, therefore it is seeking heavier punishments (for crime).

"When (PAS president) Abdul Hadi Awang was Terengganu menteri besar, he also wanted to change (the laws to include stiffer punishments under hudud, the Islamic penal system).

"That means PAS has failed. If they had succeeded, they would reduce six strokes (of the cane) to zero strokes," said the outspoken Umno minister and supreme council member.

This week a PAS parliamentarian was also slammed for proposing caning for out-of-wedlock pregnancies.

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