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Hadi should not cheapen political discourse by trivialising  the numerous strong and legitimate DAP  objections to the  PAS Islamic State concept which PAS leaders have to date been unable to give satisfactory or acceptable explanations

Media Statement
by Lim Kit Siang

(Penang,  Friday): Yesterday’s Bernama report  under the heading “DAP Against Islamic State Because No Chance To Become PM – Hadi” quoted the PAS President, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang as saying that the DAP has rejected the PAS-initiated Islamic State because its representative will have no chance to become Prime Minister in such a state and if the opposition pact comes to power. 

According to Bernama,  Hadi said in the Terengganu State Assembly during winding up of the debate on the state budget yesterday: "Our problem with the DAP emerged during our discussions and they opposed the setting up of an Islamic State for when PAS sets up an Islamic State automatically they cannot become Prime Minister. This is the reality." 

Hadi should not cheapen and devalue political discourse by  trivializing the numerous strong and legitimate DAP  objections to the  PAS Islamic State concept which PAS leaders have to date been unable to give satisfactory or acceptable explanations.

The  DAP’s stand on the Islamic state issue had always been constant, consistent and principled in the past 37 years, whether before, during or after the DAP’s participation in the Barisan Alternative – whether in our discussions or arguments with PAS, UMNO, Parti Keadilan Nasional, MCA,. Gerakan, SUPP  or MIC.

Hadi knows that the  DAP helped to establish the Barisan Alternative (BA)  with PAS, Keadilan and Parti Rakyat Malaysia in 1999 with the sole objective to crush the political hegemony of the Barisan Nasional and end its unbroken two-thirds parliamentary majority to advance the objectives as spelt out in the 1999 general election BA common manifesto “Towards A Just Malaysia” and  had nothing to do with PAS’ objective of an Islamic State. 

In fact, the BA common manifesto “Towards A Just Malaysia” was an implicit commitment by the BA component  parties at the time that the Islamic State was not one of the objectives of BA – as all component parties made the  commitment to uphold the fundamental principles of the Malaysian  Constitution which provides for a secular Malaysia with Islam as the official religion.

In early 2001, DAP had proposed a  Five-point Position on Islamic State  for Barisan Alternative to address the people’s concerns on the Islamic State issue after  PAS leaders repeatedly  flouted the BA Common Manifesto in openly advocating an Islamic State.  However, when the PAS leadership refused accept the Five-Point Position on Islamic State for BA, DAP was left with no choice but to pull out of the opposition front in September 2001 on an important point of principle.

The DAP’s proposed Five-Point Position on Islamic State  for  BA  were: 

  • That the 1999 BA Manifesto “Towards A Just Malaysia”, while respecting the different ideological positions of component parties, binds every party during the duration of the BA to a commitment to uphold and respect the fundamental principles and basic structures of the Malaysian Constitution and to give  the  assurance that there would be no radical change to the Malaysian Constitution such as for the establishment of an Islamic, Buddhist, Hindu  or Christian state. Any effort by any component party to pursue the establishment of an Islamic, Buddhist, Hindu  or Christian state will be against the BA Manifesto.
  • A clear reiteration that under the BA Manifesto, a vote for BA is a vote for democracy, justice and good governance and not a vote for an Islamic State  and PAS agrees that in the duration of the BA, PAS would at all levels of the party join forces with other BA parties to strive for “A Just Malaysia” and not for an Islamic State
  • BA Presidential Council to be given prior notice of any proposed enactment or measure in the Kelantan and Terengganu PAS  state governments which could impinge on the sensitivities of the different religions, communities and political parties to allow for fullest consultation and agreement.
  • A special BA committee to be set up to ensure that controversial or sensitive pronouncements or statements affecting religious and other rights which are against the BA manifesto are only made after prior consultation and to deal with cases of infraction.
  • Although PAS is committed to the objective of an Islamic State,  it accepts the fact that in a plural society like Malaysia, the establishment of an Islamic State is not suitable  or practicable.

Hadi should not therefore cheapen and devalue political discourse by trivializing the numerous strong and legitimate DAP  objections to the  PAS Islamic State concept which PAS leaders have to date been unable to give satisfactory or acceptable explanations by claiming that the DAP has rejected the PAS-initiated Islamic State because its representative will have no chance to become Prime Minister in such a state and if the opposition pact comes to power.  Hadi should know that this is not a honest manner of conducting any political discourse.   

DAP still awaits reasoned and rational responses from Hadi and the PAS leadership to the publicly-stated DAP objections to the PAS Islamic State blueprint, the “Islamic State Document” released on November 11, 2003,  such as: 

  • Violation of  the 46-year  “social contract” of the major communities entrenched in the 1957 Merdeka Constitution, the 1963 Malaysia Agreement and the 1970 Rukunegara  that firstly, Malaysia is a democratic, secular and multi-religious  nation with Islam as the official religion but not an Islamic state; and secondly, the Federal Constitution is the supreme law of Malaysia as provided in Article 4 and not the syariah law as intended by the PAS Islamic State blueprint;
  • Violation of  the  1999 Barisan Alternative common manifesto “Towards a Just Malaysia”, to restore justice, freedom, democracy and good governance with clear commitment by all subscribing parties to uphold the fundamental principles of the Malaysian Constitution, binding  PAS not to pursue the establishment of an Islamic State while in the  Barisan Alternative;
  • Incompatibility with Malaysia’s plural society  in creating a new dichotomy of Muslims and non-Muslims to add to the bumiputra-non-bumiputra segregation, as illustrated by barring high political and strategic posts  to non-Muslims – not just that  of Prime Minister, but also Chief Justice,  heads of security forces, etc;
  • Incompatibility  with democracy in placing the PAS Islamic State concept  beyond criticism by equating it with Allah’s injunction;   and
  • Incompatibility with human rights, women rights and modernity, such as punishments involving amputations, crucifixions and stoning to death.

At a  PAS Melaka forum in June 2000, I had asked whether the Political Islam of PAS is compatible with democracy, or whether it believed only in “one man, one vote, one time” and will use electoral politics to “hijack democracy” as power-sharing was just the strategy and mechanism to achieve the ultimate objective, the establishment of an Islamic State, which would be irreversible.

I was  not being cynical or facetious  as some thought but was very serious – for the question the advocates of Islamic State or any religious state must answer is whether they would countenance the  change of such a system of government.  If apostasy is regarded  by PAS as “warring” against Allah and must entail the capital punishment of death penalty, wouldn’t any proposal to change the  Islamic State to other forms of government be  regarded as an even greater “war” on Allah, even worse than treason, which  must entail worse and harsher punishments?

When launching the PAS Islamic State blueprint, Hadi had welcomed a reasoned and rational  public debate.  He should honour his invitation for a public discussion with serious answers to the grave objections and not cheapen and devalue public discourse by trivializing the objections.

(5/12/2003)

* Lim Kit Siang, DAP National Chairman