DAP life adviser Dr Chen Man Hin today said he was misquoted by a local daily and stressed that he stood by the party on its view that Malaysia was not an Islamic state.

"The report was incorrect because I did not say that Malaysia was an Islamic nation or state," said Chen in response to a New Straits Times report yesterday.

"Instead, I said Malaysia is recognised as an Islamic or Muslim country because a majority of its citizens are Muslims and it is a member of the Organisation of Islamic Conference," he told malaysiakini.

Yesterday, a NST report titled 'Malaysia moderate Islamic nation, says DAP adviser' quoted Chen as saying that DAP agreed with Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad who declared last month that Malaysia was already an Islamic state.

The declaration came under fire from opposition parties, most notably from DAP and PAS which were once allies in the Barisan Alternatif.

DAP pulled out of the coalition late last month, citing irreconcilable differences with PAS over the setting up of an Islamic state.

The Chinese-based DAP had repeatedly stressed that Malaysia is and should remain a secular state, as enshrined in the Federal Constitution.

While PAS, which advocates for a governance based on Islamic laws and teachings, had criticised Mahathir's version of Islamic state for not fulfilling the religious criteria and challenged the premier to debate the issue in Parliament.

Early this week, PAS president Fadzil Noor said the party would draft a memorandum spelling out the concept of an Islamic state for submission to the premier soon.

Religious composition

Chen explained that 'Islamic state' or 'nation' has a connotation that its governance should be based on religious edict, laws and teachings.

However, an 'Islamic country' is merely reflective of its religious composition among the people, he added.

A 60 percent majority of Malaysians are Muslims, while other beliefs are widely practised among the rest of the population.

"This is why DAP has always maintained that Malaysia is not and should not be an Islamic state," said Chen.

However, Chen said he agreed with Mahathir's portrayal of Malaysia as a moderate Islamic country at the recent Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Shanghai, China.

US President George W Bush reportedly said at the Apec meeting that Malaysia has a role to play as a moderate Islamic country in the Muslim world.

When asked, Chen refused to say whether he will clarify with party deputy national chairperson Karpal Singh over the NST report. "I have already issued a statement to state my stand."

In an immediate response to the daily's report, Karpal yesterday said Chen's remark was just a personal view and not the party's.

Chen was DAP national chairperson since its founding in 1966 before he became life adviser of the party at the end of 1999.

His final outing in mainstream politics was in the 10th general elections in 1999 when he contested for parliamentary and state seats in Negeri Sembilan.