In his letter, Chuan Chew stated that secularism is neutral and asserted that freedom for all religions can *only* be guaranteed under a secular government.

This is hardly the case in reality. Secularism is actually the number one enemy of religion. There are a few examples which support this claim. Turkey upholds secularism as the basis of the state. In Turkey, Muslim women are not allowed to wear hijab and religious education is prohibited. Islamic parties are also banned.

You may argue that Turkey is a Third World country and ruled by a dictator. Now take a First World country which claim to practise democracy - France. Muslim girls are not allowed to wear hijab if they want to go to school. In the US, it is actually illegal to pray in public.

Religious freedom can only be provided by a country that respects religion. In all Islamic states, for example Malaysia, religious freedom is guaranteed by the Constitution. Some people might argue that Islam does not allow freedom of religion and quote the case of Afghanistan. However, we have to differentiate between freedom to practise and freedom to propagate religion.