One of the causes of gloom for many Malaysians on the occasion of the 50th Merdeka anniversary comes from the question whether Malaysia has lost one of its fundamental nation-building underpinnings agreed by the forefathers of the major communities in the Merdeka social contract and Malaysia Agreement half-a-century ago that ours is a secular state with Islam as the official religion and not an Islamic state?
The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said in Bukit Mertajam on Saturday that Malaysia was not a secular or theocratic state but one which was based on parliamentary democracy.
What Abdullah did not say is as important as what he said. He deliberately omitted reference to the Islamic state. Is he saying that Malaysia is or is not an Islamic state?
Abdullah’s omission is understandable as general election is around the corner and he wants to make life easier for the Gerakan, MCA and other non-Umno Barisan Nasional leaders to mislead the people that the Merdeka social contract and Malaysia Agreement were still intact and honoured although one of the core nation-building principles had been demolished.
Although Abdullah studiously avoided any reference to Islamic state, nobody can accuse Umno leaders of camouflaging their clear intentions as the declaration that Malaysia was an Islamic state had not only been made by Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad as Prime Minister on Sept. 29, 2001 but reiterated by Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak on July 17, 2007 who went on to say that Malaysia was not and had never been a secular state.
Furthermore, there had been unanimous support by Barisan Nasional leaders to Mahathir’s “929 Declaration” that Malaysia was an Islamic state, with the then Gerakan President, Datuk Seri Dr. Lim Keng Yaik even anticipating Najib’s “717 Declaration” arguing at the time that Malaysia had been an Islamic state from Day One of the new nation!
After the next general election, what is there to stop the stitching together of these various declarations by the top Umno leaders which have received explicit support of the other Barisan Nasional leaders into one all-encompassing declaration that Malaysia was an Islamic state and was not and had never been a secular state? Continue reading “Changing Malaysia from “Islamic to theocratic state” will be much easier compared to the quantum jump from “secular to Islamic state””