After a barrage of criticism against PAS and MCA over their stand on the Islamic state controversy, DAP has turned its sights on Gerakan, a partner of the ruling coalition Barisan Nasional.

DAP national chairperson Lim Kit Siang today challenged Gerakan president Lim Keng Yaik to get the Cabinet to direct the withdrawal of a special publication on Malaysia as an Islamic state.

According to Lim the publication, Penjelasan mengenai Malaysia sebagai negara Islam (Clarification on Malaysia as an Islamic state), issued by the Information Ministry recently has allegedly declared that the country's Islamic state status can no longer be disputed.

Lim said the publication is "highly objectionable, as it is not only undemocratic but goes against the Constitution which had stipulated without dispute for 45 years that Malaysia is a secular state with Islam as the official religion".

"As such I call upon Keng Yaik to ask the Cabinet to direct the withdrawal of the publication as it is most improper and unacceptable," said Lim in a press statement today.

This is the Information Ministry's second publication on the issue. The first, entitled Malaysia adalah sebuah negara Islam (Malaysia is an Islamic state), was published in September but withdrawn in December last year for having "caused harm".

Instil fear among Chinese

On Sunday, Keng Yaik had said MCA and Gerakan must co-operate to counter DAP's attempts to instil fear among the Chinese Malaysian community over the Islamic state issue.

He said the Chinese Malaysian should be given an accurate explanation concerning the matter.

Accusing DAP of employing "dirty tactics", Keng Yaik claimed the opposition party was trying to gain sympathy from the Chinese Malaysian and win their support for the next general elections.

In response, Lim had challenged Keng Yaik to a public debate to prove his allegations.

Lim also asked Keng Yaik to raise in Cabinet two articles on the website of Jakim, the department of Islamic development in the Prime Minister's Department, which Lim claimed are no different in content from the two publications by the Information Ministry.

He said the two articles, Malaysia negara Islam (Malaysia an Islamic state) by Jakim, and Konsep negara Islam (The Islamic state concept) by Dr Abd Halim El Muhammady of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia's law faculty, are "offensive and insensitive to non-Muslims in the country contrary to Vision 2020 and the concept of Bangsa Malaysia espoused by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad".