SG BESAR POLLS PAS Sungai Besar candidate Dr Abdul Rani Osman said today the existing provision for caning as a punishment under civil law is 'harsher' than the one to be introduced under the proposed amendments to the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 2016.

This, Rani said, was based on his own experience as a medical doctor.

"Like the caning punishment now for drug addicts. I am telling you, as a doctor, I know.

"Doctors who treated the people after they were caned can see that it had been very painful. Even to wear back your clothes is painful," he said at a press at the PAS headquarters in Sungai Besar.

Rani said this was unlike under syariah law, where caning is meant to shame the perpetrator, rather than cause physical hurt.

"Caning in Islam is different. If I cane any one of you here 10 times, it will still not hurt as bad.

"I will have to keep a book under my armpit (while caning). I have seen that done in Acheh," he added.

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang's Private Member’s Bill seeks to allow the Syariah Court to impose higher sentences - from the current RM5,000 fine and six strokes of the cane - for existing crimes under its jurisdiction.

Rani, who is the Meru assemblyperson, also said he had distributed 10,000 pamphlets explaining the proposed Syariah Court amendments to voters, including some printed in Chinese.

He said he had gone to Chinese coffeeshops, where the people were playing chequers, to do this.

"They apologised to me, but I said we will not disturb (their gambling).

"That is your right (as non-Muslims)," he said, noting that the final result of the PAS campaign would only be seen at the end of polling day on June 18.

Sungai Besar has about 13,000 Chinese voters, who are largely concentrated around Sekinchan.