Punishment

Malaysia, Malaysia, Malaysia...

I would imagine it's a great country in a lot of ways. In fact, I have friends who have visited it and said it was a wonderful place.

Which makes it even more sad that the Government sapping around overshadows the good bits.

Caning. When is it a good idea? I'm no capital punishment enthusiast, but I could probably understand it for crimes. And I understand crimes to be something that infringes on the rights of others in some way.

Not for having pre-marital sex. Not for drinking beer. Aren't they personal choices?

And the thing about this recent spat of official canings in Malaysia is that they only apply to the majority Malay population. So basically, if you happen to be born into a certain ethnicity, you have less rights than your ethnic Chinese or Indian neighbours.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think Islam is to blame. I think if you want to follow Islam, that's probably a good thing. But I also think it's a personal choice. Hence, you should not be punished for not following it, the same way you shouldn't be punished for following it or any other religion, for that matter.

Simply not following a religion, or certain rules of a religion, is not a crime.