Keng Yaik should declare the Gerakan stand on the “final objective” of the “929 Declaration”  to fully implement the Islamic State, including amendments to the Constitution after the next general election  

(Penang,  Sunday):  After the “929 declaration” of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad at the Gerakan national delegates’ conference on September 29 last year, Barisan Nasional leaders including Gerakan President and Primary Industries Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Lim Keng Yaik had sought to assure Malaysians that Mahathir’s declaration that Malaysia is an Islamic state was not “a statement of intent” as the   statement was “a fact and the reality that exists” for 44 years and that there was no intention to  amend the Constitution.

The overwhelming majority of Malaysians, regardless of race or religion, will not agree that Malaysia is today “in fact and reality” an Islamic State, especially when for 44 years of nation-building, there has been no dispute whatsoever  in the  constitutional, political and  legal history of the country that Malaysia is a democratic, secular, multi-religious, tolerant and progressive nation with  Islam as the official religion and that Malaysia is not an Islamic state.

In these circumstances, assurances by government leaders that there would be no change to the status quo or the Constitution as a result of the “929 Declaration” are most unimpressive and unconvincing, especially as in the past eight months after the 929 Declaration, there had been increasing  calls to either fully implement  the “final objective” of an  Islamic State in Malaysia or to amend the Constitution to prepare for  such a “final objective”.

Ten days ago, former Federal Court judge,  a professor at the International Islamic University Malaysia and currently Suhakam Deputy Chairman, Tan Sri Harun Hashim, publicly called for the amendment of the Constitution to put beyond a shadow of doubt that Malaysia is an Islamic state in line with the “929 Declaration”.

Harun made the startling declaration and interpretation that the first part of Article 3 of the Federal Constitution which provides that “Islam is the religion of the Federation; but other religions may be practised in peace and harmony in any part of the Federation” means “that Islam is the religion of the state which makes Malaysia an Islamic state”.

He then went on to propose that  “To dispel any doubts that Malaysia is an Islamic state, Article 4 of the Constitution should be amended to finally declare that the sources of the laws of the Federation are the Quran and the Sunnah” although he adds the rider that “Such a declaration will not derogate from the provision that the Constitution is the supreme law of the Federation”.

Harun’s proposal for the amendment of the Constitution must be taken seriously as it is the first “fruit” of the “929 Declaration”, as the government sent a delegation headed by  Harun to  four Middle Eastern countries at the end of the year  to study various aspects of the syariah law and its implementation in Islamic countries.  The countries visited to study the standardisation, codification and administration of Islamic laws were  Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and  Jordan.

Up to now, neither Keng Yaik nor Gerakan had taken a public stand on Harun’s misinterpretation of Article 3 as the constitutional basis for an Islamic State or his proposal to amend Article 4 of the Constitution to remove any doubts whatsoever about the status of Malaysia as an Islamic State.

Harun’s proposal is only the first step towards the full implementation of the “final objective” of an Islamic State, if the “929 Declaration” is given national endorsement by the multi-racial, multi-lingual, multi-cultural and multi-religious Malaysian civil society and citizenry in the next general election.

The “final objective” to fully implement an Islamic State in Malaysia, including the amendment of the Constitution, have been spelt out clearly in government documents, whether in print or on official websites, after the “929 Declaration” and they constitute two important elements, viz:

• firstly, the policy that everything that conflicts with Islam will be brought in line with the requirements of  Islam in stages and in a way that is wise - “Melalui dasar ini, segala yang bercanggah dengan Islam akan disesuaikan dengan kehendak Islam secara berperingkat-peringkat dan dengan cara yang bijaksana”; and
• secondly, that the policy to instil the values of Islam (Penerapan Nilai-nilai Islam) will continue incessantly until the aim of establishing an Islamic state in the national system is fully implemented - “Ia juga adalah satu dasar yang akan dijalankan secara berterusan sehinggalah matlamat untuk menegakkan negara Islam dalam sistem negara terlaksana sepenuhnya”. – (Information Ministry booklet “Malaysia adalah sebuah Negara Islam”).

There are two articles on the website of JAKIM, the Depatment of Islamic Development in the Prime Minister’s Department, (http://www.islam.gov.my), which throw more light on the  “final objective” to implement an Islamic state in all its full perfection in Malaysia after declaring that the question of Malaysia as an Islamic state  is no longer open to dispute.

The two articles on the JAKIM website are  “Malaysia Negara Islam - oleh Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia” and “Konsep Negara Islam” by Dr. Abd. Halim El Muhammady, Fakulti Undang-Undang, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

The second article advocated the amendment of all Federal laws,  the Federal Constitution and state laws which are obstacles to  the full establishment of a perfect  Islamic State, stating:  

“Oleh itu bagi memudahkan proses penyatuan umat di masa depan kita perlu menerima sebagai suatu kenyataan bahawa negara ini ialah sebuah negara Islam. Dengan menerima negara ini sebagai sebuah negara Islam  bukan bermakna ianya telah selesai segala tuntutannya. Kesempurnaannya perlu kepada pengisian daripada kita, sama juga seorang Muslim yang diakui sebagai Muslim selepas mengucap dua kalimah syahadah bukan bermakna Muslimnya sudah sempurna, kesempurnaan Islamnya bergantung kepada proses peningkatan ilmu & penghayatan Islam pada dirinya.”

Keng Yaik should declare the Gerakan stand on the “final objective” of the “929 Declaration”  to fully implement the Islamic State, including amendments to the Constitution after the next general election.

Those who claim that it is now no more open to dispute  that Malaysia is an Islamic State as a result of the “929 Declaration” are trying to foist a completely baseless and fallacious doctrine on Malaysians, in utter disregard of the 44-year 1957 Merdeka Constitution and  “social contract” reached by our forefathers from the major communities and the peoples of Sabah and Sarawak that Malaysia is a democratic, secular, multi-religious, tolerant and progressive Malaysia with Islam as the official religion but Malaysia is not an Islamic State.

This is why the “No to 911, No to 929, Yes to 1957” People’s Awareness Campaign has been launched to conscientise and mobilize Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or political party, to unite and defend the 1957 Merdeka Constitution and “social contract” by sending out a clear and unmistakable message in the next general election expected in less than 12 months to reject the “929 Declaration” and demonstrate that it could receive no  national endorsement by the multi-racial, multi-lingual, multi-cultural and multi-religious electorate.

(19/5/2002)