updated version PAS has agreed to consider including the statement 'A vote for Barisan Alternatif (BA) is not a vote for an Islamic state' in the BA manifesto as a compromise with DAP over the Islamic state issue.

However, DAP life advisor Dr Chen Man Hin who revealed this to malaysiakini today, said that DAP had rejected the PAS gesture which was made during a recent BA meeting.

"This slight accommodation (on the part of PAS) was not acceptable to the DAP," he said, adding that DAP had demanded that PAS drop its Islamic state concept and adhere to the BA 1999 general elections manifesto.

He added that BA's political struggle should be based on the 1999 manifesto where there was no mention of the setting up of an Islamic state.

In a front-page article today, the Sun daily reported that DAP would leave the BA next week when the coalition's leaders meet to discuss the Islamic state issue.

The report quoted a party insider as saying this would happen as negotiations within the BA over the Islamic state issue were "not encouraging".

The source also claimed that DAP's move to leave BA would force PRM and Keadilan to make public their stand on the Islamic state dilemma.

Talks still on

Chen said today that while the other component parties in BA had their reservations over the Islamic state concept, they were, unlike DAP, not strongly against it.

"PRM has in principle agreed that an Islamic state is unsuitable in a multi-racial society like Malaysia whereas Keadilan is still discussing the matter," he said.

DAP deputy chairperson Karpal Singh when contacted said the front-page report in the Sun today was "speculative".

However, when queried, he did not deny the possibility that DAP may leave BA unless PAS unequivocally declares that they are not going to push for an Islamic state in Malaysia.

Asked if the move (to leave BA) would divide the party, Karpal said a large number of DAP members were against the Islamic state concept propounded by PAS and "would accept the party's decision if it decided to leave BA".

He added, however, that the negotiations with PAS over its stand on establishing an Islamic state in Malaysia were still on-going.

Meanwhile, DAP secretary-general Kerk Kim Hock also denied that the party had decided to withdraw from BA over the 'Islamic state' fiasco.

However, he said the controversy had come during a very critical time and the party's central executive committee (CEC) will make a decision (to remain or withdraw from the front), before the party's national congress scheduled to be held on Aug 18-19.

"One way or another we will have to make a decision and recommend it to our delegates," he told reporters at the Parliament press room.

Kerk also said that a decision to withdraw from the front was a serious matter and thus would not be relayed via 'party sources' as reported in the Sun.

Hasty decision

In an immediate reaction, PAS president Fadzil Noor expressed his hope that DAP would not make a hasty decision and pull out from the front.

"Differences are normal and we are still in the process of discussion," he told malaysiakini.

"We will abide by our common manifesto because honouring an agreement is important in Islam," he added.

"It must be understood that no party should ask another to abandon its ideology, hence we have never asked DAP to abandon its 'Malaysian Malaysia' concept," he reasoned.