Premier-in-waiting Najib Abdul Razak failed to realise that stirring up the hornets' nest does no one any good, when he declared that Malaysia, by virtue of its official religion, is an Islamic state.

The contentious remark has left many fuming. They see it as an insult to the concept of Bangsa Malaysia as, through his words, Najib has made it clear that Malaysia 'belongs' to Muslims.

With the 12th general election not far away, one cannot fathom the logic behind the statement. What mischief does Najib have up his sleeve? Didn't the racial riots of May 13, 1969 serve up enough lessons for the country's leaders? Don't they care about the feelings of non-Muslim Malaysians?

It is regrettable that religion is used and manipulated to serve the agenda of the power-that-be. There is no sincerity in wanting to enhance unity among the different races; the government displays no honesty in acknowledging that Malaysia is home to one and all; and there certainly is no sensitivity among leaders when it comes to discussing religion-based issues.

Najib said Malaysia is an Islamic state and not a secular one and in the same breath he gave a so-called assurance that the rights of minority faiths will be protected.

One can only wonder what rights Najib is talking about. Was M Revathy's right to lead her life as a Hindu given any thought by the Islamic affairs department when they tossed her into rehabilitation for six months, hoping to turn her into a Muslim convert?

The move to hold an interfaith dialogue never took off. The effort to discuss Article 11 of the Federal Constitution was regarded as detrimental to the status of Islam to the point that Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi issued a gag order prohibiting discussions on this topic.

There are many more examples that can be cited where the rights of the minority faiths have been trampled upon. Where was Najib then? He certainly was nowhere in sight protecting the rights and welfare of non-Muslims.

It is saddening that after almost 50 years of independence, Malaysia has yet to gain her freedom in the true sense of the word. While the colonial masters have long left us, the divide-and-rule ploy they used is very much in place. Is not what Najib said an exhibition of this tactic of controlling people based on their ethnicity?

The truth is that non-Muslims in Malaysia enjoy no real rights. The rights of Muslims have always superceded those of their non-Muslim brethren and will continue to dominate.

Post-Merdeka vision

Have leaders like Najib so easily forgotten or are they ignorant of how Malaysia had achieved its independence? Don't names like V Sambanthan and Tan Cheng Lock mean anything to Najib? The Malaysia of today certainly did not come about as a result of the hard work of Muslims alone. It was an integration of endeavour by people of various races that enabled our nation to gain her freedom.

Najib must be mindful of the fact that co-operation among races became the base of the independence struggle because the world community and even the Malayan community were not convinced about Malaya's ability to remain peaceful with a plural social structure.

The vision of post-Merdeka political leaders was of an independent Malaya ruled by a government supported by the people. The claim for independence had to be a total move, a collective effort and this the Malay leadership realised.

Politicians must never forget the fact that Malaysia is not only home to Muslims. There are many other races who also call Malaysia home and their existence must not be taken for granted. Being small in number does not indicate weakness, so no one should rile up public sentiments using religion.

It was bad enough that Najib refused to be accountable for what he said. What made this worse was that the government too wasted no time in refusing the people their right to speak their mind. Soon after the backlash from Najib's remarks, the internal security ministry issued a gag order barring all mainstream media from publishing any news on the issue.

This move was cowardly. If the leaders can go about making hurtful and insensitive racial statements, then the public has every right to question such statements and display their dismay. There must be no immunity given to insensitive politicians. Time and again the powers-that-be have shamelessly bullied the rakyat into accepting the unacceptable. What will it take for this form of arm-twisting to end?

Islam is Malaysia's official religion but that does not make it an Islamic state. As Just Movement president Dr Chandra Muzaffar has rightfully pointed out, for the majority of contemporary Muslim jurists, Malaysia is not an Islamic state since its constitution does not state that governance is based upon the Quran and Sunnah (the way of the Prophet Muhammad, pbuh).

Neither is Syariah the supreme law of the land. And hudud (the Islamic criminal code) is not in force anywhere in Malaysia.

As Chandra says, insisting that Malaysia is a secular state or an Islamic state will only widen the chasm between the communities and will exacerbate ethnic tensions.

If Najib is insolent enough to demand that Malaysia be regarded as an Islamic state, then whose vision does Vision 2020 represent? Is it a vision of an Islamic nation, which does not include non-Muslims? Does the Federal Constitution provide no solace to non-Muslims? Is the Rukunegara all about professing loyalty to an Islamic state?

Najib should show some courage and try and calm the people down. Malaysia can certainly avoid another May 13 if politicians and leaders are more responsible in what they say and stop taking people for granted.

Read Part 1 here