The better alternative to secularism which is often perceived as being devoid of spiritual values is not theocracy but a form of 'principled pluralism' which incorporates universal values accepted by all religions, a speaker at an international conference on religions proposed today.

"Principled pluralism celebrates the fact that there are cultural minorities and communities of diverse religious and cultural backgrounds," constitutional lawyer Philip Koh told malaysiakini after a session at the conference.

He had earlier spoken on constitutional provisions for the separation of Church and State and their implications for religious faith and freedom.

The two-day international conference on religious pluralism in democratic societies started yesterday in Kuala Lumpur. Organised by the Malaysian Association for American Studies, it brought together leading scholars on various religions to discuss inter-faith issues.

Among them were Prof Diana L Eck of Harvard University, Prof Leonard Swidler and Dr Mahmoud Ayoub of Temple University and Prof P Ramasamy of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

Minority status recognised

According to Koh, the principled form of pluralism means having various communities taking part within a country through exchanges with one another and culturally contributing to the process of nation-building.

"I say this in a very clear way because there are certain religious ideological doctrines that argued that they recognise others' minority cultural status: You can erect your Kuan Yin, churches and cathedral but you stay within that enclave or that ghetto," he said.

The speaker added that principled pluralism also means rejecting secularism which dominated the discourse in the public sphere as if it were devoid of values and religions.

"We argue that the debate in the public sphere is conducted within principles recognised universally by all pluralistic groups. These principles should be allowed to play their rightful role within the governance of a nation-state," Koh stressed.

Asked if Malaysia is already practising that form of pluralism or heading towards it, he said Malaysia is a wonderful experiment because its 'coalition politics' is reflective of the practice although past discourses have often been skewed towards developmental priorities.

However, Koh pointed out that as Malaysia's citizenship matures, the ruling elites in Barisan Nasional should allow for more pluralistic discourse in a free and equal manner.

While not negating the fact that, historically, Malay dominance and Islam had played a primary role in the past, he said, "Principled pluralism means that other groups would also take part in this conversation."

Government neglect

Under the Malaysian constitution, Islam is the religion of the federation but other religions may be practised in peace and harmony.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's announcement that Malaysia is an Islamic state last year and Islamic opposition party PAS' ambition to set up an Islamic state should it come to power have, however, renewed concerns of many non-Muslims as well as some Muslims.

Other religion groups such as the Malaysian Consultative Council for Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism had complained of government neglect sometimes, especially when it comes to state support.

It has been reported that, the building of churches and temples have often met with difficulties in obtaining approval for land compared with the relative ease when it comes to building mosques.

National television and radio channels only broadcast Islamic religious programmes but exclude programmes about other religions.