The DAP central executive committee meeting tonight will not be making any final decision on the party's position in the Barisan Alternatif, said party chairperson Lim Kit Siang today.

"We will only discuss and decide on how to resolve the Islamic state controversy in the shortest possible time," said Lim in a press statement.

The meeting is the first after the party's 13th congress two weeks ago which empowered the newly-elected 26-member central executive committee to resolve immediately the party's differences with PAS on the Islamic state issue. The CEC has also been given the mandate to make a final decision without having to refer to the congress or delegates.

Lim also called on PAS to participate in a public debate on the political, legal and constitutional implications of PAS' Islamic state concept.

He said that the debate was necessary to convince everyone that PAS' Islamic state concept promoted a liberal and progressive solution to the problems of religion and society.

Conflicting statements

Both the parties have been in disagreement over the Islamic state issue, resulting in several top DAP leaders pronouncing that the party's relationship with PAS was no longer tenable.

They want DAP to withdraw from the opposition front should PAS insist on setting up an Islamic state if it comes to power after the next general elections.

Lim today added that the PAS leadership was giving conflicting statements on the Islamic state issue.

He said that party president Fadzil Noor had said the party will abide with the BA common manifesto which did not refer to Islamic state while other PAS leaders were making it clear that the issue remained central to PAS' present politics.

Lim said he was also disheartened by Fadzil's statement yesterday that PAS could not give an assurance that "a vote for BA is not a vote for Islamic state" as demanded by DAP.

"This represents the nub of the crisis facing the BA, as it is a subtle but major departure from the common manifesto," he said.

Two sets of voters

He added that the manifesto, issued before the 1999 general elections, committed the four component parties in BA to respect and uphold the fundamental principles of the constitution and the present system of democratic governance. The other parties in the coalition are Keadilan and PRM.

Lim said the present situation would create two groups of voters for the BA in the next general elections these being those who vote to restore democracy and good governance and a second group who vote the BA to establish PAS' Islamic state.