MALAYSIA’S fourth and seventh prime minister (PM) Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad deserted his stance of a multi-racial Malaysia after September 2021 after authoring the book “Capturing Hope: The Struggle for a New Malaysia” soon after he was toppled from power in the Sheraton Move political conspiracy in February 2020.
This, according to retired DAP supremo Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang, is a stark contrast from his original position of a multi-racial Malaysia when he announced the 30-year Vision 2020 and its nine strategic challenges, and even supported the Rukun Negara principles,
“Dr Mahathir has proved to be quite a political chameleon. I remember his announcement at the Gerakan delegates’ conference on September 29, 2001 that Malaysia was already an Islamic state, completely against the pronouncement of the first and third Malaysian PMs,” penned the veteran lawmaker in his blog.
“Tunku Abdul Rahman on his 80th birthday on Feb 8, 1983 gave the most important message to Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders not to turn Malaysia into an Islamic state. This was the front-page headline in all the language newspapers the next day.”
Added Kit Siang who was Malaysia’s longest serving Opposition leader (29 years on three separate occasions): “Tunku stressed that Malaysia was set up as a secular state with Islam as the official religion and this was enshrined in the constitution which must be respected and adhered to.”
Four days later, Kit Sing recalled Malaysia’s third PM Tun Hussein Onn when celebrating his 61st birthday on Feb 12, 1983 gave full public support to Tunku’s call to BN leaders not to turn Malaysia into an Islamic state.
Hussein said it was “neither wise nor practical” to turn Malaysia into an Islamic state as Malaysia could still be functional as a secular state with Islam as its official religion.
Kit Siang further chided the longest serving Malaysian premier of 22 years and 22 months during his two stints for ignoring both the Reid Constitution Commission in 1957 and the Cobbold Commission in 1962.
Paragraph 169 of the 1957 Reid Constitution Commission report recommended that the Constitution for Malaya on its attainment of independence should make it very clear that the country is a secular state.
The Cobbold Commission Report 1962 which reported on the views of Sabahans and Sarawakians on the proposed formation of Malaysia further revealed that one of the reasons for the reservations of people in both states in supporting the formation of Malaysia was whether the new Federation would become an Islamic state.
“The British members of the Cobbold Commission recommended that the provision that Islam is the official religion should not be extended to Sabah and Sarawak but the Malayan government members gave the guarantee that such a provision would not jeopardise Malaysia’s character as a ‘secular state’,” stressed Kit Siang.
“Dr Mahathir made the ‘929’ announcement (that Malaysia is an Islamic state) which received the support of Gerakan to undercut PAS but now Dr Mahathir and PAS president, Tan Sri Hadi Awang are now in the same boat.” – July 5, 2023
Main pic credit: EPA-EFE
