Singapore Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew's not preferring PAS to rule this country was purportedly grounded on his fear for the insurgence of the Islamic militancy in this country that might spill over to Singapore.

The word 'militancy' means "combative and aggressive". Is there a nexus between PAS' rule and Islamic militancy?

PAS has never advocated any form of religious militancy as manifested in (say) Kashmir /Afghanistan cited by SAB's 'The unnerving justification of Islamic militancy' (Aug 8).

PAS is a lawful political party participating in our democratic electoral system. PAS leaders and their supporters have not shown an iota of militancy or violence or else they would have long been detained under our draconian security laws.

So why is the fear of PAS and its link to Islamic militancy as alluded to by LKY?

The best guess is that PAS, unlike Umno, advocates a stricter fundamentalist interpretation of Islam which tends to conflict with modernity and secular economic and social development, as influenced by Western values, in this country that is composed of 40 percent non-Muslims.

Some examples of conflicts will be as follows: modern and Western science and technology (including Information Technology) are contrary to fundamentalist belief since the former emphasises scepticism and questioning while the latter stresses faith and obedience.

The former also stresses individual freedom in behaviour activities and even dressing so long as such exercise does not harm others.

Fundamentalist religion prescribes moral codes with justification based on intangible 'moral harm' caused by say alcohol consumption, gambling and 'indecent' attire. The former believes in empiricism and relativity whereas the faith of the fundamentalist is absolute.

Modern societies as influenced by the West teaches individuality, whereas fundamentalist, 'group-think'.

Our present political system is predicated on sovereignty of laws made by people through their elected representatives in parliament whilst fundamentalists believe in sovereignty of God and His laws as revealed by the ulamas.

Modern societies value pluralistic play of ideas and the flowering of different ideas, and change that come with these whilst fundamentalist believes in the return to the unchanging one absolute voice of the Quran and Sunnah.

In a setting of such conflicts, the potential for resurgence of militancy under a fundamentalist regime is so much greater because of attempts by some of the devout and extremists to resolve the impasse of such conflicts by way of jihad (holy war).

Already this country had seen the activities of Darul Arqam and recently that of the armed heist by Al-Ma'unah which resulted in two deaths, and there may well be many other activities of such sorts that are not disclosed for security reasons.

So the fear is not that of PAS' present leaders or supporters but the future leaders and supporters to come who may become militant under a fundamentalist ideological milieu that conflicts with other prevailing aspects of modernity, secular economic and social development. In short, a clash of civilisation.

The present government that tries to juggle modernity with Islamisation often becomes stressed by not quite being able to satisfy fully the imperatives of either civilisations or ideologies.

If it flounders under PAS fundamentalist assault, it is obvious that Singapore, based on secular development, will view the development as alarming and threatening in the future because the "conflicts of civilisation" will be brought right to her door steps. It is as simple as that - LKY's thinking!