In December last year, Malaysian model Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno pleaded with the authorities: “Don’t leave me in limbo“. This was in reference to the long wait for the caning sentence imposed by the Syariah Court for drinking alcohol, with no certainty that it will be carried out. Now, it seems that her plea will be answered as a resolution to the caning issue is possibly within sight. Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno will know within a month whether the caning will take place or not.
The Tengku Mahkota of Pahang, Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah said: “We do not want the issue to prolong. Perhaps some good may come from us finding a solution.”
So how long more should Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno wait? Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah said: “I hope we can resolve it amicably. I know this is a sensitive issue and we don’t want it prolonged. We hope to resolve it within this one month.”
So will Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno finally be caned, and thereby becoming the first female to be caned in Malaysia? Well, if you go strictly by the sentence imposed by the Syariah Court, and the fact that Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno refused to appeal the caning sentence, and in fact urged for a speedy implementation of the caning, the answer must be a definite “Yes”.
However, the long delay in carrying out the sentence seems to indicate that a lot of behind the scene deliberations by various parties are going on. Malaysia has long cherished its image as a moderate Muslim country, and this image can be adversely affected if the caning sentence on Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno is carried out.
Looking at Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah’s words, we can see the complexity of this case. Such words as “finding a solution”, “sensitive issue”, “hope to resolve” may indicate that the authorities are making an effort to spare Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno from receiving 6 lashes of the cane.
The problem could have been resolved if Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno had appealed against the caning sentence. If she had done so, a higher court could have, in the name of mercy and compassion, convert the caning sentence into something else, or even set it aside. But Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno stood firm and refused to appeal.
Given the standoff, what other solution is possible? Obviously the Syariah Court won’t reverse its sentence if there is no appeal. So increasingly, it looks like a possible solution may have to involve the Sultan by way of a royal pardon. This could well be the face saving solution to resolve the caning issue for all parties.
Interestingly, there are recent press reports that Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno is planning to seek an audience with the Sultan of Pahang. Is she planning to seek a royal pardon? Or is she planning to ask for the caning sentence to be expedited?
Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, who is the Regent of Pahang and President of the Pahang Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council said that he had not received any application by Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno to seek a royal audience. But he added: ”Whatever it is, I am willing to meet her.”
Think about it. Is Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno finally seeing light at the end of the long caning tunnel? Will the case be resolved within a month? Or will there be further delay? The long delay has already caused Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno her marriage. There is also the emotional strain and stress of not knowing when and if she will be caned. Is this “additional punishment” fair to Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno who, in the first place, pleaded guilty to the charge of consuming alcohol, paid the RM 5,000 fine, accepted the caning sentence and did not want to appeal against it. The subsequent delay in carrying out the caning sentence is really not of her own doing.
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Kartika Caning – Don’t Leave Me In Limbo
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Kartika Caning – Why The Delay?
Kartika Caning – Attorney General: “Justice Hurried Is Justice Buried”
Who Is Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno?
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