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DAP calls for a nation-wide movement to protect and enhance Tunku’s nation-building formula of a democratic,  multi-racial, secular and multi-religious nation with Islam as the official religion but Malaysia is not an Islamic state, starting with the Barisan Nasional Supreme Council revoking the “929 Declaration” that Malaysia is an Islamic State Speech -  opening of the  Penang DAP food fair by Lim Kit Siang (Penang,  Sunday): The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad said in Miri on Friday that Malaysians must protect and enhance the formula of racial tolerance created by the country’s first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman.  One important pillar  of Tunku’s formula of  racial tolerance is to be loyal to the nation-building  compact reached by the forefathers of the major communities on the founding of the nation and written into the 1957 Merdeka Constitution and 1963 Malaysia Agreement that Malaysia is a democratic, multi-racial,  secular and multi-religious nation with Islam as the official religion but Malaysia is not an Islamic state.  This is why during his 80th birthday dinner on 8th February 1983  hosted by the Barisan Nasional leaders  headed by Mahathir who had become the fourth Prime Minister for 18 months and won a landslide victory in his first general election in 1982, Tunku chose as the most important theme of his speech a  public call to the Barisan Nasional leaders to adhere  to the Malaysian Constitution and “not to turn Malaysia into an Islamic State”.  The next day, the banner headline “Tunku: Don’t Turn Malaysia into an Islamic State” was on the front pages of all language newspapers, whether New Straits Times, Star, Sin Chew Jit Poh, Nanyang Siang Pao, Kwang Wah Jit Poh, China Press, Utusan Malaysia or Berita Harian.  I have no doubt that if Tunku   had been alive when Mahathir made  the “929 Declaration” that Malaysia was  an Islamic State at the Gerakan national delegates’ conference on September 29, 2001, he  would have been extremely shocked and would have been the first to  come forward boldly, strongly and unequivocally to point out that the “929 Declaration” was a violation of the “social compact” reached by  the major communities on achieving Independence, the 1957 Merdeka Constitution and  the 1963 Malaysia Agreement and to spearhead a nation-wide movement to call for its revocation.  Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said in Brunei early this month that he will not carry out wholesale or radical changes in Malaysia’s policies, both at domestic and international level, when he takes over as Prime Minister in October and pledged to continue the “good policies implemented from the time of Tunku Abdul Rahman to Dr. Mahathir”.  If Tunku’s formula of nation-building is to be protected and enhanced, as proposed by Mahathir in Miri,  the Barisan Nasional Supreme Council should be the first  to honour Tunku’s formula of nation-building  and heed his injunction 20 years ago not to turn Malaysia into an Islamic State by formally revoking the “929 Declaration” that Malaysia is an Islamic State before the change-over of the Prime Ministership takes place in October.  The MCA under a new President and the Gerakan, where the unconstitutional “929 Declaration” was made, should jointly requisition for a Barisan Nasional Supreme Council meeting to revoke the “929 Declaration” to protect and enhance Tunku’s nation-building legacy. This is also the time for  a nation-wide movement to protect and enhance Tunku’s nation-building formula of a democratic,  multi-racial, secular and multi-religious nation with Islam as the official religion but Malaysia is not an Islamic state.  The DAP Central Executive Committee, at its meeting tomorrow, will discuss how such a nation-wide movement to protect and enhance Tunku’s nation-building formula could be launched.   DAP is prepared to make common cause on this with other Opposition parties, which is the reason for the  DAP’s  standing invitation to opposition parties like the Parti Keadilan Malaysia and Parti Rakyat Malaysia for the formation of a secular Opposition front, to defend the 46-year fundamental constitutional principle that Malaysia is a democratic, secular and multi-religious nation with Islam as the official religion but not an Islamic state, whether Islamic state ala-UMNO or ala-PAS. (27/7/2003) * Lim Kit Siang, DAP National Chairman