DAP is prepared to discuss with PAS leaders and explain its objection to the latter's concept of Islamic state and the Terengganu Hudud Bill.

Its national chairperson Lim Kit Siang said in principle, the advocacy of "sovereignty of law based on Islamic law and jurisprudence" requires a fundamental change to the constitution stating that Malaysia is a secular and democratic state

However, its vice chairperson Karpal Singh stressed that the party will not compromise its principle and is determined to disassociate with any move to subvert the Federal Constitution which envisages Malaysia as a secular state with Islam as the religion of the federation, but not an Islamic state.

Lim said in a statement today that the introduction of Islamic law in Malaysia would not only cause a "tectonic shift" in the nation-building process and "derogate from the 44-year social contract that recognises the constitution as the country's supreme law of the land", but would also automatically render non-Muslims as second-class citizens.

He said the seven principles of the PAS model of an Islamic state outlined by PAS president Fadzil Noor, "clearly have to be tested against practical problems and the issues for the principles to be fully understood," he said.

He also said that DAP is also ready to have a dialogue with Keadilan whose deputy president Abdul Razak Othman had said that the PAS model for an Islamic state could be incorporated into the Barisan Alternatif's (BA) new manifesto in the next general election.

As to the Terengganu Hudud Bill, Lim said PAS should know that the Bill goes against human rights as it discriminates women in providing, among others, that a woman who claimed that she was raped can be charged with qazaf (slanderous accusation) and flogged 80 lashes if she is unable to prove the rape.

Unchanged stand

Meanwhile Karpal said in a separate press statement today that the DAP had left the BA because it could not accept PAS's insistence in setting up an Islamic state and government if the Muslim party comes to power and stressed that its stand remains unchanged .

"The ball is now in PAS' court. It should reconsider its avowed aim to set up an Islamic state to enable a viable opposition to the Barisan Nasional in the coming election," he said.

While expressing his surprise at Keadilan's willingness to have PAS' model of an Islamic state to be included in the BA's election manifesto, Karpal commended PRM for its realistic and pragmatic statement that PAS' model would not augur well for a multi-racial society.

"PAS should realise that its partners in the BA are, unlike it, multi-racial and would not compromise [themselves] into a position incongruous to their ideologies," he added.