From The Business Times, Singapore
28th March 2001

Dr M won't allow Malaysia to become Islamic state

MALAYSIAN Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad vowed yesterday to resist efforts by a leading opposition fundamentalist party to declare Malaysia an Islamic state.

Dr Mahathir: also denied Umno is losing ground to the fundamentalist PAS
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Dr Mahathir also denied that his United Malays National Organization (Umno), which has controlled government in Malaysia since independence from Britain in 1957, is losing ground to the fundamentalist Parti Islam Malaysia (PAS).

In a feisty question-and-answer session on the floor of Parliament, Dr Mahathir warned legislators that imposing Islamic law on all Malaysians could upset the ethnic balance of this South-east Asian country.

"There will be problems ... And Islam says we must not impose problems on others," Dr Mahathir said.

Although Malaysia has Islamic syariah courts and various bodies to regulate the religion, Dr Mahathir's government has largely maintained secular laws. Non-Muslims are exempted from the country's syariah laws.

The fundamentalist party, which rules two of Malaysia's 13 states and enjoys growing support among Malays, have stepped up their pressure to declare Malaysia an Islamic state.

In the states it controls, the open sale of liquor and betting outlets have been banned and a dress code for Muslim women and separate counters in supermarkets for men and women have been introduced.

Dr Mahathir has accused the fundamentalist group of abusing Islam for political gain and says the religion should not be forced on non-Muslims.

Dr Mahathir's Umno has been trying to woo the fundamentalist group into holding talks which he claims are crucial to unite Malays and protect affirmative action policies which favour them.

Scheduled talks between the leaders fell through when Umno rejected several preconditions by the fundamentalists. -- AP