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DAP rejects the contention that Malaysia is an Islamic state and was one long before Mahathir's "929 Declaration" and calls on Gerakan President Lim Keng Yaik to apologise to Malaysians for the most unprincipled and slippery political opportunism   Media Statement by Lim Kit Siang (Penang,  Monday): Acting Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said on Saturday that Malaysia is an Islamic state and was one long before the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad's "929 declaration" at the Gerakan national delegates conference on Sept. 29, 2001 that Malaysia was an Islamic state. DAP rejects the contention that (i) Malaysia is an Islamic State; and (ii) that Malaysia was an Islamic state long before the "929 Declaration". In fact, one week before the "929 Declaration" by Mahathir that Malaysia was an Islamic state, Gerakan leaders including its President and Primary Industries Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Lim Keng Yaik were assuring the Sarawak voters in the 2001 Sarawak state general elections that Malaysia was not an Islamic state, while falsely accusing DAP leaders of wanting to set up an Islamic state. In the event, it is now proved by events that it was the Gerakan leaders who supported the establishment of an Islamic state and not the DAP. But what is really shocking is that the Gerakan-led Penang State Government should have co-organised a seminar whose main objective was to try to convince the people of Penang to lead Malaysians to accept the "929 Declaration" on the ground that (i) Malaysia is an Islamic state and (2) that it was one long before the "929 Declaration" by Mahathir at the Gerakan national delegates conference. In his speech on Saturday, Abdullah revealed that Mahathir's "929 Declaration" on Sept. 29, 2001 that Malaysia was an Islamic state had been made "with the consensus" of all Barisan Nasional leaders, including Keng Yaik and the MCA President, Datuk Seri Dr. Ling Liong Sik . DAP calls on the Gerakan leaders, in particular Keng Yaik, to apologise to the people of Penang and Malaysians for the most unprincipled and slippery political opportunism, in declaring that Malaysia was not an Islamic state in the Sarawak state general elections in September 2001 while doing a somersault a week later to support the "929 Declaration" that Malaysia was an Islamic state, although this goes against the 1957 Merdeka Constitution, the "social contract" and the 1963 Malaysia Agreement that Malaysia is a democratic, secular and multi-religious nation with Islam as the official religion but Malaysia is not an Islamic state, whether ala-PAS or ala-UMNO. With the Gerakan spearheading a new campaign to convince the people of Penang and Malaysia to accept the unconstitutional "929 Declaration", DAP will redouble our efforts and energies in our "No to 929" national campaign to protect the fundamental constitutional principle and nation-building cornerstone of Malaysia as a secular nation with Islam as the official religion - bearing fully in mind the famous legacy speech of Bapa Malaysia and first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman on his 80th birthday on February 8, 1983, reminding Barisan Nasional leaders and Malaysians "not to turn Malaysia into an Islamic state". (31/3/2003) * Lim Kit Siang, DAP National Chairman