It is disheartening to note that several Umno members of Parliament have forgotten about the natives of Sabah and Sarawak when they argued that Malaysia is an Islamic state . One of them even implied that those who oppose Malaysia's status as an Islamic state should leave the country.

Should the majority of Dayaks and Kadazandusuns who are not Muslims leave Malaysia if they oppose an Islamic state then?

It was also even more disheartening to note that PBS and Upko MPs chose to keep quiet in parliament, when it is in fact widely known that both PBS and Upko oppose the idea of an Islamic state.

This was proven in the 2002 PBS congress when the PBS president Joseph Pairin Kitingan reiterated that Malaysia is not an Islamic state to the applause of thousands of supporters in the KDCA hall.

Upko Information Chief Wilfred Madius Tangau, too, had expressed his regrets that several provisions in the original Federal Constitution had been repealed including an article which affirmed that Islam shall not be the state religion in Sabah and Sarawak. This was reported in the Borneo Post in 2002.

It is therefore frustrating to see that representatives from both PBS and Upko had decided to be mere spectators in the Islamic state debate. No wonder then, Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang said he was also speaking for BN representatives from Sabah and Sarawak who are too afraid to speak up.

Please note that the states of Sabah and Sarawak would not have agreed to the formation of Malaysia if there were arrangements to turn it into an Islamic state. Both states had agreed to the formation of Malaysia on condition that Malaysia is a secular state.

This is the important social contract in Malaysia that many Umno leaders like to ignore. The only social contract they like to harp on is the one involving Malays, Chinese and Indians in Malaya.

Perhaps, if the Jerai MP Badruddin Amiruldin insists on Malaysia being an Islamic state, Umno should first allow Sabah and Sarawak to secede. At least we will be richer, like Brunei.