Before and after the 1999 general election, the scary image of PAS' Islamic state had plagued public acceptance of the opposition front.

Efforts by all relevant parties, be it PAS, the other component parties in the BA or enthusiastic political workers/sympathisers, have reduced these fears and helped to debunk the falsehoods spread by Barisan Nasional about what is happening in Kelantan and Terengganu.

The fact that more and more fence-sitters are aware of BN lies and are prepared to listen to what the opposition especially PAS has to say about the idea of a just society is encouraging.

But all these efforts prove futile every time PAS openly declares its intention to set up an Islamic state in Malaysia - and Hadi is one of such leader who never shies about PAS' intention.

Whether or not PAS will be able to summon enough parliamentary strength to amend the federal constitution to establish an Islamic state, whether or not PAS has shown an example of good governance in Kelantan and Terengganu, become irrelevant. The two words 'Islamic state' blast out all efforts to win support for the Barisan Alternatif.

Instead of letting this Islamic state 'time bomb' destroy all the efforts to promote the BA, it would be wiser for all parties to face the problem head-on - let PAS spell out its Islamic state concept in concrete terms.

Let PAS list out what it means by an Islamic state, how different it is from the current system of governance (not in qualitative terms but practical sense), how the non-Muslims' rights will be affected or preserved in terms of citizenship in such a theocratic state, whether it is true that non-Muslims will be bound by Islamic civic laws as pronounced by Hadi recently, whether the quota system based on race practised by the BN government now will be altered and become a system based on religion and whether other religions will be subservient under Islam in an Islamic state.

Those who have different views and are opposed to the idea of an Islamic state in Malaysia will be able to have their say in public. Thus Malaysians will be able to make an informed decision whether they are for or against an Islamic state.

The Islamic state issue is not confined to the Abdul Hadi Awang and Karpal Singh clash.

Both Hadi and Karpal have been the most vocal leaders from PAS and DAP with respect to the Islamic state debate. There can be more clarity from both leaders about their differences over the Islamic state, but the substance of the argument cannot be brushed aside simply by saying that there is "vast difference between an idealistic intention and realities", thus the people should focus on "more important and pressing matters".

It is most unfair to downgrade the controversy between Hadi and Karpal by dismissing them as ' syok sendiri ' (self-absorbed) and it is definitely not a 'waste of time' for fellow Malaysians to share their thoughts and knowledge on this most pertinent issue, not so much in the form of religious discourse, but a healthy public debate as to where we want our country to head for.

We need to start such public debate now and not in 2004.