DAP national chairman Lim Kit Siang today urged Malaysians to oppose Islamic militancy or any form of militant extremism but cautioned the government against using these movements as an excuse to clampdown on opposition parties.

In his speech at the party's 13th annual congress, he said armed extremism should be opposed by all right-thinking Malaysians.

"DAP condemns militant Islam or armed extremism of any kind as a threat to the very social fabric of our nation and our democratic way of life, and they must be opposed," said Lim.

Lim, however, added that accusations of militancy and extremism should not be hurled at opposition parties in order to justify the use of the Internal Security Act (ISA).

"The government should not resort to the ISA but should charge the accused in court where a public inquiry could be held," he told the 565 delegates from 218 branches who attended the congress held in Kuala Lumpur.

Lim was referring to the recent arrests of alleged Islamic militant movement members including several from the Malaysian Mujahidin Group (KMM).

In arrests beginning Aug 2, 10 alleged members of the KMM have been held under the ISA, among them Kelantan Chief Minister Nik Aziz Nik Mat 's son, Nik Adli.

Lim also mentioned an article which appeared recently in the Washington Times which said that former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim had close links to radical Islamic fundamentalists.

He said linking the fundamentalists to Anwar could be a campaign to smear Anwar in order to pave the way for a meeting between Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and US president George Bush.

(Anwar is currently serving a 15-year jail sentence for corruption and sodomy.)

Meeting point

Touching on the Islamic state concept, which is high on the annual congress' agenda, Lim conceded that the four-party Barisan Alternatif (BA) coalition was at a 'crossroad'.

"It is not just the DAP and BA, but Malaysians, too, are at this crossroad to decide whether they should support BA with its unresolved Islamic state controversy or to tolerate the undemocratic and unjust Barisan Nasional (BN) rule," Lim said.

On one hand, he said, there was a strong desire to see a change for the better in the BN system towards efforts to restore justice, freedom, democracy, accountability and transparency.

"On the other hand, there is anxiety and even fear that support for BA will bring the PAS Islamic state one step closer which in turn will drive voters back to support the BN," Lim said.

(The Islamic state concept has been a constant bone of contention between the secular socialist DAP and its BA partner, the Islamic-based PAS.)

"The DAP stands for a secular and a democratic Malaysia and our opposition to an Islamic state for a pluralistic Malaysia is clear and consistent. We are not anti-religion or anti-Islam.

"PAS' ideology for an Islamic state is equally clear and consistent. The question is where the twain shall meet or in fact whether there is any meeting point," Lim said.