Malaysians are incensed by the statutory rape case that allowed Noor Afizal Azizan, a former national bowler walkaway scot-free with what you would hardly call a ‘slap on the wrist’! Instead of sentencing him to a mandatory 5-year imprisonment, Azizan was released on a RM25,000 penalty and good behaviour bond for 5 years.
This ‘privilege’ does not only apply to our prominent figures, but to the common people who walk among us. Chuah Guan Jin, a 22-year old electrician from Penang was found guilty of raping his then 12-year old girlfriend in 2 occasions in 2011. He was spared from jail time where he will be bound over 2 years on a RM25,000 penalty and good behavior bond, similar to Azizan. The Sessions court judge, Sitarun Niza Abdul Aziz justified the ruling after considering that Chuah was a first-time offender and that he’s simply a young man with a ‘bright future’. (Source)
The women of PKR Sarawak are furious and demanded a judicial review of the Court of Appeals decision for letting Azizan walk away scot-free instead of serving his time behind bars. Sarawak PKR Women chief, Nurhaim Mokhsen said that this mistake would create precedent and will “open a floodgate of rape cases”. (Source)
The decision of Sessions Court has also sparked an uproar among the public about the welfare of children. Datuk Dr Amar Singh, a paediatrician said the recent sentences seemed to “focus more on the perpetrator rather than the victim’s situation”.
Do you agree with Datuk Dr Amar Singh? It seems quite obvious that the welfare of Malaysian children is being ignored. And with cases about child-kidnapping in our country increasing rapidly, is this a wise decision made by our court judges? Did they look past the fact that rape victims, both adult and underaged are usually left with psychological scars? (Source)
Have we forgotten about the voices of young Malaysians who deemed to be the future leaders of our country, instead of paving a road for the prosecutor’s “bright future”?
Is it safe to say, that from the decisions made by the court, that young girls, or even women are no longer protected by the court? What will this lead to when the welfare of Malaysian women and children is concerned? Does this mean that every criminal can walk the streets without serving their time in jail? How would you feel if your child was a victimized?
What do you, as a Malaysian have to say about this?
