While I share some of Dr Farish A Noor's feelings about the Islamic state debate ('No bated breaths for result of out-Islamising race', Dec 22), I must point out however that the only pragmatic choice for Muslim Malaysia is a power-sharing arrangement between ethno-religious-based political parties that acknowledge articles 3 and 153 of the Malaysian Constitution.

Whether we like it or not, Malaysia is 60-plus percent Muslim and whether we like it or not, there is only very little that can be 'modified' within Islam.

I do not believe that Muslims are going to make what is manifestly haram into halal and vice-versa. I do not believe that the basic Islamic pillars like praying five times daily will ever be modified within Islam.

Consequently the best bet for a complex and industrialising Muslim country like Malaysia is precisely the Barisan Nasional arrangement with Umno at its helm. Umno represents a balance between the secular DAP and the fundamentalist PAS.

As for the DAP manifesto of a "Malaysian Malaysia" and "meritocracy", I only have this to say: The word "merit" is predicated upon a value-system and a world-view. Without specifying this underlying value-system, there is no way we can give "meritocracy" an operational meaning. By what yardstick do we measure "merit"? And does "meritocracy" include the spiritual dimension? After all, Muslims interpret "merit" to also include an Islamic and spiritual dimension.

As for the "Malaysian Malaysia" slogan, there is really no such thing as a homogeneous, Malaysian Malaysia. Every ethno-religious group has its own interpretation of what constitutes "Malaysian-ness". To be Malaysian means different things to different people. Moreover, we must accept the principle of "to each community, his own". We cannot homogenise this multicultural and multi-religious country.

Quite frankly, the Malaysian Malaysia slogan is hollow and meaningless - once we accept our separate ethno-religious identities. It is only within the context of an atheistic, godless, secular humanism that meritocracy and Malaysian Malaysia have any hope of flourishing.

But whether we like it or not, secular humanism can never take root within a Muslim society.

It is for these reasons that I reject the DAP alternative. I also reject the PAS alternative since PAS obviously intends to impose Islamic values upon the non-Muslims in Malaysia.

We cannot impose our values on other ethno-religious communities. "We have to live and let live".

Moreover, PAS does not seem to be able to come out with a meaningful agenda for the modernisation and industrialisation of Malaysia that is inclusive of the diverging aspirations of Muslims and non-Muslims. They cannot unite the country's different ethno-religious constituencies.

I therefore conclude that BN under Umno's leadership still represents Malaysia's best interest.