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Keng Yaik should not back out of a public debate on Islamic State after my acceptance or he should shut up and stop talking rubbish and half-truths to camouflage the Gerakan’s political opportunism on the issue Media Statement by Lim Kit Siang (Penang, Wednesday): Gerakan President and Primary Industries Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Lim Keng Yaik should not back out of a public debate on Islamic state when I had accepted his challenge without reservations – which could only mean that he is aware that he is defending the indefensible.  Keng Yaik knows that in a series of public debate, which can only bring out the truth in a more vivid and forceful manner, the Gerakan would be exposed as politically unprincipled and opportunistic in abandoning the 46-year fundamental constitutional principle and nation-building cornerstone agreed by the major communities in the “social contract”, the 1957 Merdeka Constitution, the 1963 Malaysia Agreement and the 1970 Rukunegara that Malaysia is a democratic, secular and multi-religious nation with Islam as the official religion but not an Islamic state, whether ala-PAS or ala-UMNO.   Such a public debate series will also expose his lies that the DAP had supported PAS to establish an extremist “Taliban-type” of Islamic state – as it will allow the DAP to produce proof to demonstrate that even when DAP was in the Barisan Alternative, we made it very clear to PAS, Parti Keadilan Nasional and Parti Rakyat that the DAP’s opposition to an Islamic State in Malaysia was a fundamental position which could not be compromised.   Can Gerakan produce proof that it had made very clear in the Barisan Nasional that its opposition to an Islamic State could not be compromised?  Far from it, for  the DAP will be able to produce proof to demonstrate that Keng Yaik and Gerakan had repeatedly betrayed the Gerakan’s 33-year  founding principle that Malaysia is a secular state with Islam as the official religion.   DAP does  not run away from the public debate challenge from Keng Yaik because of the truism of the saying “True Gold is not afraid of furnace fire”.  Keng Yaik and Gerakan do not have the confidence of “true gold” to withstand the  “furnace fire” of the public debate on the Islamic State issue.   Keng Yaik should  reconsider his chickening out  from his challenge of a public debate on Islamic State after I had accepted it – or  he should shut up and stop talking rubbish and half-truths to try to camouflage Gerakan’s political inconsistency and opportunism in supporting UMNO’s   Islamic state. (22/10/2003) * Lim Kit Siang, DAP National Chairman