Kelantan PAS has blamed the media for making it sound as if the state was suggesting the use of the guillotine, saying it was the reporter's suggestion.

In a statement yesterday, private secretary to the Deputy Menteri Besar's Office Mohd Khairil Hazmie Yusof berated mStar Online's article 'Hudud law: The guillotine Kelantan's choice' for giving the state a bad image.

"What happened in the telephone interview (with mStar's reporter) was that the reporter had suggested the use of the guillotine, based on 'public opinion'.

"Deputy MB Amar Abdullah (right) replied that the suggestion would be considered and discussed at the hudud technical committee's meetings after the matter is studied," said Khairil.

The MB, he said, "regretted the inaccurate report that raises misunderstanding among the public".

"Therefore, associating him with the proposal is the reporter's mistake, which in turn will affect the understanding of the people and cause further annoyance and damage to the image of the state government, which is trying to educate the public on understanding and accepting hudud law," he said.

The said article has raised eyebrows and earned the contempt of DAP Kluang MP Liew Chin Tong, who told the PAS government to stop its "obsession with such inhumane methods of punishment".

Liew (right) said Malaysia did not need an added form of cruel punishment at a time when human rights proponents are pushing for reduced usage of corporal punishments such as the death penalty and judicial caning.

PAS Kelantan's insistence on implementing hudud claiming the need for effective crime prevention, continues to be a thorn in the side for Pakatan Rakyat.

However, despite BN's historical resistance of the law it was Prime Minister's Department Jamil Khir Baharom who had given PAS encouragement to move forward.

He had said the BN government now welcomes Kelantan PAS's move, and has formed a joint technical committee to study the implementation.