The DAP views the barrage of stinging attacks by Umno leaders on nine non-Muslim ministers who submitted a memorandum to the prime minster as an act of totalitarian rule.

Its secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said that Umno's labelling the memorandum as an act of challenging Premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was against the spirit of democracy.

"It is clear from the way the media is playing up the issue, Umno is trying to force the non-Muslim ministers to back down. Should such threats succeed, then there is no democracy in Malaysia," he said in a statement today.

He stressed that the nine ministers had every right to voice out legitimate concerns about religious freedom and fundamental rights to justice and equal treatment before the law.

The memorandum which was submitted on Wednesday by Housing and Local Government Minister Ong Ka Ting was signed by all non-Muslim ministers except Tourism Minister Leo Micheal Toyad who was overseas.

The other eight were Transport Minister Chan Kong Choy, Human Resources Minister Dr Fong Chan Onn, Health Minister Dr Chua Soi Lek, Works Minister S Samy Vellu, Energy, Water and Communications Minister Dr Lim Keng Yaik, Plantation Enterprises and Commodities Minister Peter Chin, and Ministers in the Prime Minister's Department, Bernard Dompok and Maximus Ongkili.

In the memorandum, it was reported that the ministers asked for the premier to review laws and the constitution where they infringe on minorities' rights.

The memorandum was the first major response from Barisan Nasional component parties since the public outcry which resulted from the controversy surrounding deceased Everest hero M Moorthy.

PM being hasty

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang urged Abdullah to allow cabinet discussions and a studies by the Attorney-General's (AG) Chambers to take place first before deciding on the matter.

According to Kit Siang, it was only 10 days ago that the cabinet ordered the AG to examine existing laws and the constitution to see if any change or clarification is needed to protect the rights of non-Muslims in syariah court- related matters.

"The prime Minister should not jump the gun by deciding now that there would be no amendments to Article 121 (1A) even before there is a thorough discussion of the issues concerned by the cabinet itself," he said in a statement.

Furthermore, Abdullah had admitted that he had yet to read the memorandum submitted by the nine ministers, which can be seen as though he is ignoring the views of the minorities, said Kit Siang.