16 October 2017

MCA insists that we are "Constitutional Compliant" first

1.       Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister Department Dato’ Dr Asyraf Wajdi assertion on an Islamic state is similar to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad’s declaration in the year 2001 that “Malaysia is an Islamic state.” It was purely a political statement and posture that are not legally binding. Tun Dr Mahathir had made this statement back then  to appease the political sentiment of the day on demand for an Islamic state.  

2.       This was when Tun Dr Mahathir lost control of the popular support of Malay voters in the 1999 general election during the Reformasi years when Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim and PAS seemed to be having the Islamic moral ground then.

The then Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir had declared that Malaysia is already an Islamic state when he opened the Gerakan annual delegates conference in September 2001. His statement has escalated and further complicated the Islamic state controversy in our country. Politically, his declaration had brought about a surge of demand for the Islamic state agenda to be realised thereby forgetting the basis of our social contract and the need to be Constitutional Compliant.   

3.       Now as the general election is approaching, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister Department Dr Asyraf Wajdi has said that the BN government is not shirking its responsibility to make Malaysia an Islamic state. This is just another political statement  and a gimmick to win over Malay and Muslim votes now that the Non-Malay votes are seen to have made up their minds ?

4.       Today, the Kingmaker is not PAS or any other political party. The Kingmakers today are in fact the Malay and Muslim voters. It is evident that all parties including DAP are trying hard and moving towards capturing the imagination and support of the Malay voters. Thus, in the pursuit for these Malay voters, both UMNO and PAS are trying very hard to win over their support by pandering to their political appetite and desire for Malaysia to be made as an Islamic state. Since the Malay agenda as a race is no longer politically attractive or "sexy," the Islamic state agenda is now being revived and becoming the focus of politicians and political parties once again.

5.       MCA disagrees with the public assertion by Dr Asyraf Wajdi in a political dialogue in Kelantan that BN is committed  to make Malaysia as an Islamic state as there was never any  discussion on this in the BN Supreme Council or in the Cabinet. What Dr Asyraf Wajdi had said is basically in his personal capacity in Kelantan where PAS rules.

6.       MCA stands firmly in support of the call by the Majlis Raja-Raja Melayu on the need to uphold our social contract on moderation and to preserve our multi-racial  harmony along the spirit of the Federal Constitution. MCA further asserts that all actions including the need to be "Syariah compliant"  should be "Constitutional Compliant" first as an assertion that  the Federal Constitution is the Supreme law of the land and not any other compliance set by any institution or bodies that may not be constitutional compliant.

7.       MCA refers to the former Lord President Tun Salleh Abas (who later was also an elected PAS State Assemblyman in Terengganu), that the highest law in the country is the Federal Constitution.

Tun Salleh had said that his stand on Article 3 was clearly stated in a 1988 judgment which ruled that the term 'Islam' in Article 3 refers only to acts relating to "rituals and ceremonies" and this ruling must be upheld.

8.       MCA together with other component parties in Sabah and Sarawak will ensure that Barisan Nasional will continue to uphold the spirit and supremacy of the Federal Constitution which provides that Islam is the religion of the Federation and this should not be expanded or misinterpreted to mean an Islamic theocratic state.

Dato’ Sri Ti Lian Ker
MCA Publicity Spokesman ( Bahasa Malaysia / English )
MCA Religious Harmony Bureau Chairman

-MCA onilne-