Aug 2, 07 12:04pm
A senior cabinet minister broke ranks today on the Islamic state
issue by arguing that the nation's founders did not have that in mind
when the Federation of Malaysia was formed in 1963.
"I hope my colleagues in the government can forgive me for saying
that I do not agree that we are an Islamic state," said Minister in
the Prime Minister's Department Bernard Dompok, who hailed from Sabah.
Dompok is the first minister to speak out on the controversial issue
after a gag order was issued in wake of Deputy Prime Minister Najib
Razak's 'Malaysia is an Islamic state' remarks two weeks ago.
"For all intents and purposes, I think Malaysia was not meant to be
an Islamic state," he said at the launch of 'The Merdeka Statement'
by the Centre for Public Policy Studies in Kuala Lumpur today.
"I think people that I know would be very unhappy if this type of
thing persists," adding that Malaysians would "have to contend with
the issue for the time being."
Bernard, who recently resigned from Parliamentary Select Committee on
Integrity, also felt that the courts are indecisive on religious cases.
"The judiciary seems to play football with cases ... it's neither for
syariah nor civil courts," he decried.
He also felt that court cases in which one spouse had converted to
Islam should be heard by the civil courts.
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