Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad defends his declaration that Malaysia is an "Islamic state" based on:

  • Muslims make up just 60 percent of the population;

  • His administration's approach to religion is moderate and tolerant;

  • There have been no changes in secular laws and constitution; and

  • Other countries in the world accept Malaysia as Islamic country. ( PM defends 'Islamic state' declaration )

    • This definition is not acceptable to PAS. To it, the above do not constitute criteria of an Islamic state. The presence of a large Muslim population, Muslims in position of political authority, partial implementation of some aspects of Islam and mere tagging/branding of the country as an Islamic state do not produce an Islamic state.

    To PAS, Islam is the Quran and the Sunnah, the Islamic state revolves around the Quran and the Sunnah, and because Islam is composed of the Aqeedah (doctrine) and a collection of laws emanating from it, the Islamic state must derive its entire constitution from the Islamic Aqeedah.

    All of the systems, laws and regulations must emanate solely from the Islamic Aqeedah and the sources of Syariah. The Islamic Aqeedah would form the basis of every aspect of the social structure of the Islamic state.

    One cannot therefore claim an existence of an Islamic state without these attributes. Mahathir's administration therefore does not meet the prerequisite of this system of thought and administration.

    At the other end, the DAP and civil groups demand western-style democracy based on secular constitution and institutions. Here the institutions of government (executive), the legislature (parliament) the judiciary, religion and the press are separate and independent.

    It is for checks and balances. The belief is that this separation of powers and institutions best guarantees the freedom of the individual citizen. Freedom is important because it is the natural state of humankind and the proof of that is that, throughout history, people will go to whatever length, pay whatever price including loss of life to regain it after it has been taken away.

    "Give me liberty or give me death" was the clarion call by Irish patriot, Patrick Henry, on March 23, 1775 that is reiterated in every text book of western students. (Even today the reformsi detainees are crying for their freedom, hopes rekindled from the recent Federal Court decision.)

    By the standards set under this system of thought, the Mahathir administration again does not meet them. The critics complain that the institutions are not separate but controlled or dominated by the ruling coalition. If the Mahathir administration does not meet these prerequisites of democracy, the PAS system, based on all-embracing religious theocracy and concentration of power in ulama, will, for even more obvious reason, not meet these prerequisites.

    Mahathir's dilemma is that he is neither here nor there. He is attacked by the right (PAS) for not being purist and extremist enough and by the left (DAP, the opposition and civil groups) for not being liberal enough.

    His administration is in a contradictory position because critics on both extremes of the ideological continuum perceive it as not consistent and true in practice to the principles of left as well as right. Mahathir will call this inconsistency "moderation" while critics, "hypocrisy".

    But the joke is 'hypocrisy' is not the monopoly of the ruling clique that Mahathir represents and leads. It is the trait of all practitioners of politics, the game of power, and it extends to the opposition parties of PAS and the about-to-merge Keadilan/PRM  the universal principles of that apply equally to this blessed nation of ours.