Let me first state that I have nothing against Islam as a religion. However, I do value the civil liberties, whatever's left of it, currently enjoyed by most Malaysians, and would hate to see it robbed by a bunch of holier-than-thou politicians under some form of theocratic rule.

It therefore disturbs me to learn that Keadilan is courting the fundamentalist worldviews of PAS. Karpal Singh was right to take Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail to task on this issue, for a variety of reasons.

Clearly, an Islamic State is not something that can be smoothly implemented in Malaysia. We are far too multi-cultural and multi-racial for any form of theocratic rule, not just where Islam is concerned.

Islam in its purest form may be a religion that values and teaches tolerance, but the interpretation of an Islamic State by senior leaders of PAS leaves much to be desired. PAS leaders have certainly not shown any capability of ruling justly (or even logically) under an Islamic State through their ideas and policy proposals over the years.

I for one, do not want my sisters and all other Malaysian girls growing up in a country that discriminates against them by denying them political representation (although PAS has started a shift away from this policy to accommodate its comrades in the Barisan Alternatif and to gain wider support), being denied places in the workforce based on their perceived 'beauty' and all sorts of other ridiculously sexist proposals PAS members have come up with over the years.

In addition to that, I do not want my rights curbed by religious ideologies that prevent me and a whole lot of other decent Malaysians from responsibly having fun occasionally in our country's only casino or in the nightclubs and bars of Kuala Lumpur.

For Keadilan to slowly start dancing to PAS' tune will spell doom for everything the opposition movement has fought for and achieved in these last three years.

Furthermore, the fact that Dr Wan Azizah's statement evoked a swift rebuke from only the DAP goes to show that there is no proper communication within the Alternative Front, with some coalition members left in the dark as to what the others are concocting behind the scenes.

Incidents such as these will only translate into overall loss of support, and therefore votes, when the general elections are carried out in 2004.

If left unchecked, the Alternative Front can rest assured that my vote, together with most non-Muslim and a good number of liberal Muslim Malaysians' votes, will go towards the devil we're familiar with rather than risking the fall of Malaysia into the hands of fundamentalists.

As a final point to ponder on, implementing an Islamic State will go against the Federal Constitution. Are Keadilan and PAS willing to tread the very same grounds of constitutionality they currently accuse Dr Mahathir and the Barisan Nasional of violating where the Internal Security Act detentions are concerned?