An opposition leader today questioned why Umno and its ruling allies have kept re-assuring non-Muslim members of their rights and freedom if the declaration of Malaysia being an Islamic state was only meant for the Malay-Muslims.

"If the declaration was only for the ears of the Malays, then why was it made [by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad] at the Gerakan national assembly [on Sept 29]?" DAP national chairperson Lim Kit Siang asked.

"Why was the declaration endorsed at the emergency meeting of the Barisan Nasional supreme council with MCA and Gerakan leaders competing with each other to assure the Chinese Malaysian and non-Muslim that they need not fear any adverse consequences from such a declaration?" Lim added.

Deputy Premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi revealed yesterday that the government's declaration that Malaysia was an Islamic state was only meant for the Malays and that non-Malays should not be disturbed by it.

"We just want the Malays to understand that we are an Islamic state [and therefore] they need not look for other agendas [of setting up an Islamic state]," he told Sin Chew Jit Poh in a exclusive interview.

Muslim fears

Lim, however, stressed that fears arising from Mahathir's Islamic state declaration were not confined to non-Malays.

"Abdullah, Umno and Barisan Nasional leaders should realise that it is just not the Chinese or Indians or non-Malays but also the majority of the moderate Muslims in Malaysia, who are very disturbed and concerned about the lurch towards an Islamic state.

"His assurances that the declaration would not involve amendments to policies is simply not assuring or satisfactory - especially as the declaration has emboldened elements in Umno to publicly declare in government documents and on government websites that the final objective of the Malaysian nation-building policy is to establish an Islamic state," Lim said.

Last week, the government withdrew a publication entitled Malaysia adalah sebuah negara Islam (Malaysia is an Islamic state) after the Deputy Information Minister Mohd Khalid Yunus announced that it had "caused harm".

The book explained that the government's Islamisation policy is a wide and open concept which included all Islamic values and laws which must be implemented by the government.

It stated that the policy would be continuously implemented until the objective to establish an Islamic state in the country is fully achieved.