Opposition party DAP today lambasted Umno Youth leader Hishammuddin Hussein Onn and "certain power hungry cliques" in Umno for trying to misinterpret a statement by its leader Lim Kit Siang.

It youth chief Nga Kor Ming said it is Hishammuddin who is "playing with fire" for trying to give a racial slant to Lim's statements in parliament early this week.

Lim locked horns with both BN and PAS MPs on Wednesday, when during a debate on the Supply Bill 2004 (on reallocation of expenditure), took to dispute former premier Mahathir Mohamad's declaration that Malaysia was an 'Islamic state'.

He also said that the constitution makes clear that the post of Malaysian prime minister is open to all regardless of race and religion, and not just a Muslim as it would be under the proper definition of an Islamic state.

His comments was picked up on Thursday by Malay-language daily Utusan Malaysia in a prominent front-page report headlined 'Kit Siang questions Islamic state'.

The next day, the daily carried another front-pager on comments by Hishammuddin warning the veteran politician - 'Don't play with fire'.

Political jostling

Lim said he suspects that the reports, which claimed that his statement was seditious, are early indicators of political jostling within Umno, and that certain quarters are artificially creating issues in order to win popularity in time for party elections in September.

Hitting out again today, Lim said it is time for the country to outlive the tensions that comes with every Umno party election, where "unscrupulous aspirants have no compunction to sacrifice principles to the extent of raising racial temperatures in order to win votes..."

He said it was worth noting that the reports were particularly unprecedented, as prior to this, Utusan failed to g ive him much coverage at all.

Nga, in a statement today said Hishammuddin should address the Lim's rejection of the 'Islamic state' label head on, rather than make general statements that Lim was "playing with fire".

The Umno Youth chief, he said, is trying to play "the same labelling trick he had used three years ago on the Suiqiu issue."

In 2000, Umno Youth leaders led a protest outside the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall to protest the call by Chinese election appeal group Suqiu for the abolishment of the distinction between bumiputra and non-bumiputra. The leaders threatened to burn down the Hall if Suqiu did not retract their statement to the government.

Nga reminded Hishammuddin that his father, the third prime minister Tun Hussein Onn had himself unanimously supported the call "not to turn Malaysia into an Islamic state" made by founding father Tunku Abdul Rahman.

"We are very much concerned with this (Islamic state) issue because it touches on the fundamental agreement made by our forefathers 46 years ago," he said.