I refer to the letter A dialogue with DAP on hudud?

This letter is timely. It encourages rather than silences free and open debate amongst thinking Malaysians - an admirably modern approach to problem solving.

It is important that the concerns of all Malaysians - Muslims and non-Muslims - be addressed squarely and openly.

About achieving a consensus for PAS, PKR and DAP, I think it easy to reach a consensus on the objectives of the coalition as compared to finding agreement on the means.

The objectives I would like to see include are democracy, equal opportunity, meritocracy, welfare assistance for the poor and handicapped, universal education; transparent, accountable and incorruptible government bureaucracy, rule of law; independent judiciary, respect for human rights; freedom of the press, freedom of religion, freedom of thought, freedom of speech, and an end to religious and racial discrimination.

The only overt problems I can see with my list of objectives is probably freedom of expression and freedom of religion where PAS is concerned.

I do not regard it as right that anyone should be punished for questioning my religious beliefs or for converting from my religion to another religion - as long as they do it peacefully, then they have not broken any law as far as I am concerned. But then again, I am a non-Muslim so I certainly do not expect too many non-Muslims to agree with my views.

As the dominant ethnic majority, the real issue is what Muslims in Malaysia envision for the future in terms of governance. Will they hark back to an obscure and mythical golden age of the glorious caliphates of past or will they address the myriad complex challenges of modernity honestly and without flinching?

The issue is far beyond just hudud or syariah compliance - it is about an entire myriad of issues that affect people living today in the modern era. Until the 16th century, Islamic civilisation was arguably the most advanced in the world, and China was arguably the most technologically advanced nation in the world.

After that, the Europeans left them in the dust. Muslims and Asians are not stupid or lazy or lack initiative but they had to operate, and still do, in political and economic systems that did not, and do not deliver.

For one reason or another, they did not innovate in the way the Europeans and Americans did between the 16th century and today.

It was through an astounding series of political, economic and scientific innovations - the European enlightenment - that the West became the most advanced civilisation in the world.

It took a tremendous amount of political, social, economic, artistic, and scientific experimentation over at least 300 years, and a tremendous amount of ideological conflict, catastrophic bloodshed and religious wars for Europe to evolve into the peaceful, prosperous and democratic space that it is today.

Thus far, no Islamic or even Muslim-majority country has come anywhere close to achieving the quality of life on offer in western Europe in terms of human rights, civil rights, salaries, prosperity, technological advances, health care, education and welfare provisions for the poor and disadvantaged.

I am far more interested in practical solutions to tackle the real problems in Malaysia today - I don't want to have to re-invent the wheel and then rename it the Islamic wheel. I want a model that has been proven to work effectively.

I do not see why we should reach out for an Islamic model that simply cannot compete with the European model - a gap and yawning chasm that has not narrowed over the last 400 years.

I want to know if the PAS leadership wants to tackle the problems and challenges of modernity honestly and effectively. I want my children to learn history, law, science and mathematics, and not just Islamic history, Islamic law, Islamic mathematics and Islamic science in our schools.

I want to know if PAS is willing to benchmark its policies against the best in Europe or America in the same way that I want my children to compete, if they possibly can, against the best in the world and not just in the Third World or the Islamic world.

I want to know if PAS is willing to stay intellectually open, allow everyone their religious and intellectual freedom and innovate its way intelligently into the future instead of imitating solutions for problems prevalent hundreds of years ago.