Do you think Malaysia should be a secular or an Islamic state? Why?
Dr. Dzulkefly Ahmad
(The Nut Graph conducted an MP Watch program and threw 6 questions at us and wanted to know “What will Malaysian MPs stand for. As this particular question ie on Secular or Islamic State has always been nagging us (PAS particuarly), I wanted it be made known to all and sundry, this is what I stand for. The rest of my response on ISA, FOIA, the Parliament etc could be perused http://www.thenutgraph.com/dzulkefly-ahmad-kuala-selangor)
Let me begin by asserting that I’m an Islamist democrat. Like a social democrat in the DAP, who believes and advances social democracy in its political advocacy, I believe in advocating Islam as a social and political order within the ambit of parliamentary democracy; besides being a religious conviction per se.
In a multi-party a la-Westminster parliamentary democracy, all contending parties have their right to advocate, compete and seek for electoral mandate in an electoral process that should provide for a free and fair political contestation on a more or less level playing field.
Viewed from this perspective, I must emphatically say that I’m least bothered whether Malaysia should be or is a secular or an Islamic state. I’m least concerned as to whether you call this country secular or Islamic. What matters to me is the provision of equal opportunities.
[This includes] free and fair elections where every contesting party or coalition is accessible to the electorate. That is critical and vital for a democrat rather than [to] be engaged in the endless and worthless polemic of whether this country is secular or Islamic.
READ MORE HERE: http://drdzul.wordpress.com/
