I refer to the malaysiakini report Minister breaks rank on Islamic state .

It is encouraging that there are still leaders who have the courage of their convictions to speak out on issues that affect all Malaysians.

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak cannot bring up the matter of 'Islamic state' and then put on a gag order on further discussions on the matter. This is contrary to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's call for open discussions and not to sweep issues under the carpet if we are to achieve national unity.

I don't doubt that the Islamic state issue is a sensitive one and that the extremist elements will try to cause trouble over it. Umno Youth has indicated as much - that it will not bode any discussion on the matter. But then this is a problem the government must confront rather than give in every time extremist elements threaten to disrupt public order. Too often has the government given in to extremists who threaten those who seek to discuss issues of public concern - even behind closed doors (the Article 11 meeting in Penang comes to mind).

By giving in to these extremists, the government not only condones their action but gives tacit approval to their criminal activities. The police should act impartially and deal with these elements as they would anyone who breaks the law and not demand that legitimate meetings be ended to appease the extremists. We should not cow every time someone shouts 'Amok' or 'May 13'. The law must protect the general public from the rabble-rousers and fascists.

To serve their own ends, politicians often play to the gallery. This is what Najib has done regarding the Islamic state issue. And having done so, he must allow others to reply. Bernard Dompok is right about the conditions under which Sabah and Sarawak joined the Federation. Similarly I doubt the non-Malays in Malaya would have agreed to fight for Merdeka if it was on the basis of an Islamic state.

Even if our public institutions largely reflect Islamic values or have Islamic trappings, it does not make us an Islamic state as some people have argued. An Islamic state is one where syariah law is the law of the land - it is not so in Malaysia (not yet anyway). A country is defined by its constitution and nowhere in our constitution does it say that we are an Islamic state. For the same reason, Turkey is not an Islamic state and neither is Indonesia; yet both are overwhelmingly Muslim.

It puzzles me why on the eve of the 50th anniversary of our nationhood, the deputy prime minister should bring this matter up. But having done so, Malaysians must be allowed to respond to it. Not to do so can be interpreted as acceptance - 'silence is consent', as they say. This 'backdoor' Islamisation must be resisted by Malaysians who do not want to live under syariah law. And this is not only confined to the non-Muslims but also includes the more tolerant and liberal Muslims who do not want to live under strict religious laws.

Bernard Dompok should be congratulated for taking a principled stand on this matter. Hopefully the other ministers in the government will follow his lead.