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Next general election will be the first-and-last opportunity for Malaysians to reject Mahathir’s  “929 declaration” that Malaysia is an Islamic State Speech 2 -  DAP 37th Anniversary Dinner organized by Kepong DAP Branch by Lim Kit Siang (Kuala Lumpur,  Friday): The next general election will be the first-and-last opportunity for Malaysians to reject Mahathir’s “929 Declaration” that Malaysia is an Islamic state.  The next general election will be the most important election in the nation’s history in term of the preservation of the 46-year Merdeka constitutional compact in the 1957 Constitution, the social contract and the 1963 Malaysia Agreement that Malaysia is a democratic, secular, multi-religious nation with Islam as the official religion but Malaysia is not an Islamic state, whether ala-PAS or ala-UMNO.   If the Barisan Nasional wins a landslide victory in the next general election, it would be interpreted as popular endorsement for the arbitrary and unconstitutional “929 Declaration” by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad at the Gerakan national delegates’ conference on Sept. 29, 2001 that Malaysia is an Islamic state, and signal the jettisoning of the fundamental nation-building cornerstone of Malaysia as a secular nation with Islam as the official religion and the embarkation of the nation on the road of an Islamic state.   The majority of Malaysians are not aware of the critical issue at stake in the next general election, and this is why it is important that Malaysians committed to the defence of the secular basis of the Malaysian nation should help to create greater political awareness among the people about the far-reaching implications of the “929” Declaration.   DAP is the only political party in the country, whether in government or opposition, which  defends the 1957 Merdeka Constitution and social contract that Malaysia is a democratic, secular and multi-religious nation with Islam as the official religion but Malaysia is not an Islamic state.   The best and only way to defend the 46-year constitutional compact and preserve Malaysia as a secular nation with Islam as the official religion is to ensure the strongest DAP representation in Parliament in DAP history  in the next general election – as this will be a clear and unmistakable message to the Barisan Nasional government of the people’s rejection of  the “929 Declaration” and to prevent Malaysia embarking on the road of an Islamic state..   (16/5/2003) * Lim Kit Siang, DAP National Chairman