Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno was to be caned with six strokes on Thursday, April 1, 2010. However there's not caning. On Wednesday, March 31, 2010 Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno received a letter from the Sultan of Pahang commuting caning sentence to 3 weeks community service at the children's home in Pahang from April 2.
Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno is a Malaysian citizen married to a Singaporean. They work and live in Singapore. On July 11, 2008 Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno and her husband were caught drinking alcohol at a popular Cherating resort in Pahang.
Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno then charged at the Kuantan Syariah High Court. She pleaded guilty, was fined RM5, 000 and given six strokes of the cane. She paid a fine, and all ready to accept her caning punishment.
Until the case of Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, Muslim women given the caning sentences have always appeal, and almost as a matter of routine, such sentences would be replaced with another penalty when the appeal is heard.
However, Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno has refused to appeal against the punishment. Besides, she wants the punishment to be carried out quickly and in public to serve as a warning to other Muslim women not to repeat the offense. Suddenly, Malaysia face the real prospect of caning a Muslim woman for the first time in the history of the nation.
Some groups, including those within the Malaysian Government felt that the canning sentence was too harsh, especially since Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno pleaded guilty.
Then there are others who argue that the Syariah Law and Syariah Court must be respected but others questioning whether it is legally allowed to cane a woman when the Civil Code prohibits it.
Another legal aspect, caning sentence only carried out by prison authorities against detainees but Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno have never been imprisoned.
So caning at Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, scheduled for last August, was postponed on the grounds that it was not appropriate during the month of Ramadan last year.
All this waiting has caused untold stress for Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno. While she remained in Malaysia to wait for her sentence, her husband must return to Singapore to work. Long separation eventually cause damage to marriage. Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno found herself divorced from her husband.
On Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno requested, and was granted royal audience with the crown prince of Pahang, Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, who is also chairman of the board of the state religion.
At the meeting, Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno not apply for caning sentence. Instead she asked it to be accelerated to reduce pressure in her life. And now, the Sultan of Pahang has acted to commute caning at Kartika Sari Dewi Shukanor to a period of community service.
With a caning commuting at Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, the Sultan of Pahang has shown that he is as a Sultan, has the power to vary the penalty imposed by the Syariah High Court, had objected to the people who say that Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno can not be beaten by prison authorities because she was never sentenced to prison and pacify those who feel that the canning sentence on Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno it too hard.
