Men and women line up separately to pay at a shopping centre in Malaysia
© AFP/File Teh Eng Koon

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - Kelantan state chief minister Nik Aziz Nik Mat said the laws were required to curb social ills like public kissing between young couples, and to protect women from being groped while queuing up.

The New Straits Times quoted him as lamenting that the rules, which have been in place since 1996, are not being enforced by department stores, and ordered the local council to fine offenders.

"I see many regulations that we had introduced but are not being observed, like the separate counters and the sale of porn VCDs and DVDs which are still gong on secretly," he said.

"We want to nip the problem in the bud. Other shoppers are hesitant to step in and tell these people off for fear of being reprimanded."

Nik Aziz is also the spiritual leader of the Pan-Malaysia Islamic party (PAS), which aims to turn Malaysia into a theocratic state under Islamic rule.

The party has made headlines for initiatives like introducing fines for women wearing skimpy clothes, but in recent years has begun introducing reforms designed to tone down its hardline reputation and woo young voters.

©AFP

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