A group of women NGO's today expressed their objection against the caning sentence to be carried out on part time model Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno.

They expressed concern that general principles of sentencing were not apparently applied in Kartika's case. She was, after all, a first time offender who showed remorse and pleaded guilty, and no violence was committed in the offence. Her sentences were completely disproportionate to the offence committed.

klscah launch civil society award 191207 maria chin abdullah Speaking on behalf of the women NGOs, Executive Director of the Selangor Community Awareness Society (Empower) Maria Chin Abdullah said "Kartika's case also illustrates how Muslim women are discriminated, contrary to the constitutional guarantee in Article 8(2) of the Federal Constitution, which is against discrimination on the grounds of religion and gender."

She added that while the whipping of women is allowed under Syariah criminal offences, it is disallowed by civil law under Section 289 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

In the national Women's Day message, written under the aegis of the Joint Action Group for Gender Equality (JAG), Maria condemned Kartika's sentencing as being in violation "of a person's human rights to be free from cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment or punishment."

Whipping does not deter

JAG is comprised of the Selangor Community Awareness Society (Empower), Women's Aid Organisation (WAO), Sisters In Islam (SIS), All Women Action Society (AWAM) and Women's Centre for Change, Penang (WCC).

"It has not served its purpose as a deterrent" she explained, commenting on claims that caning is a means to deter Muslims from consuming alcohol.

Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno Kartika (right) pleaded guilty to a charge of drinking alcohol - an offence under the Syariah law in Pahang. As a symbolic deterrence, the Syariah Court ordered the maximum sentence to be meted out: RM5,000 fine and 6 lashes of the whip. However, on 24 August 2009, Kartika's sentence was stayed for reasons which are still unknown.

In the message, JAG also urged the Government to fulfill their election promises and legal obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

Ratified by Malaysia in 1995, CEDAW has been dubbed as the bill or rights for women, aiming to protect women from all forms of discrimination. The BN government has allegedly promised to empower the convention by incorporating it into domestic law. A promise, which JAG claims remains unfulfilled to this day.