The long awaited PAS' blueprint on the party's concept of an Islam state - based on 'merits and high morality' - has been completed, said a high ranking party official today.

The emphasis of the blueprint is to put the principle of Islamic state in a Malaysian context, making it operational in a multi-cultural and multi-religious society, added the official who declined to be named.

According to him, the blueprint also addresses the fundamental issues in the context of a democratic society and in the spirit of the Federal Constitution.

"Our Islamic concept is enforceable in Malaysia without having to amend the constitution," said the official who was also involved in drawing up the blueprint.

The blueprint was drawn following Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's challenge to PAS to put its concept of an Islamic state on paper.

'Televised discussion'

PAS, however, has decided not to submit a copy to Mahathir unless the government agrees to the party's request that it be discussed in Parliament and shown live on television.

"We will instead use other available avenues to make it accessible to the people starting next month," said the official.

The blueprint, he said, was prepared in accordance with Prophet Muhammad's 'Treaty of Madinah', which guarantees religious freedom and assures that non-Muslims would not become second-class citizens.

"What is paramount is justice. There will emerge in government people of high moral characters who may be from other races and religions.

"Qualified people will be put in appropriate places, not because they are Muslim, Chinese and so forth, but because they have shown professionalism, expertise and are god-fearing," he said.

Far from practising cronisym and political patronage, he stressed, everybody has a role to play and it will be based on merit.

Legal aspect

Meanwhile touching on the legal aspect, the official said under PAS' Islamic state, nobody will be above the law and non-Muslims will be allowed to practise their respective religious jurisdictions.

"Nobody is above the law. It is about the rule by jurisprudence, not necessarily by the ulama (clerics).

"Ulama have their role to play. It is about allowing the Muslims to be subjected to what they believe in. Non-Muslims are allowed to practise their own religious jurisprudence and the rest can use the civil law," he said.

The paramount issue is that jurisprudence is not the end itself, but a means to the end. Therefore the right of other religious denominations in the government is not denied, explained the official.

"In Islam everything is based on merit. Islam practises meritocracy and this is mentioned in the Quran, he said.