Only fools or knaves or those who are both could believe the lies about DAP seeking to establish a Christian State in Malaysia

Lim Kit Siang

Desperation knows no bounds. This is amply illustrated by UMNO/BN political desperadoes, whether in the political front-line or hiding in the shadows pulling propaganda strings hatching the most far-fetched and outlandish conspiratorial theories in the mainstream or social media to create fear and sow the seeds of hate and conflict to ensure the survival of the sixth Prime Minister and the ruling coalition in the imminent 13th General Election.

The issue of a Christian Malaysia and the allegation that DAP wants to repeal Article 3 of the Federal Constitution providing for Islam as the religion of the Malaysian Federation in order to establish a Christian State is one of the most irresponsible and reckless of lies and falsehoods in the current repertoire of the UMNO/BN political desperadoes.

In fact, those who disseminate such lies and falsehoods utterly reckless about its damage to the process of nation-building in multi-racial and multi-religious Malaysia qualify to be condemned as the vilest and most despicable traitors to the vision of an united and harmonious Malaysian nation!

Only fools or knaves or those who are both could believe the lies that the DAP is seeking to establish a Christian State.

Henceforth, let Malaysians put the “fools or knaves” test to the political desperadoes who could so recklessly and irresponsibly disseminate such lies and falsehoods – whether they are fools or knaves, or both!

As far as I know (and I am prepared to stand contradicted), there has never been any call for the establishment of a Christian State in the country in the 55 years since the attainment of Merdeka in 1957 or in the 49 years since for the formation of Malaysia in 1963.

Is it possible that some five decades after Independence in 1957 and formation of Malaysia in 1963 that there is now a call for the establishment of a Christian state in Malaysia?

First reason why only fools or knaves or those who are both could believe it.

All throughout the DAP’s 46-year history, the DAP has been constant and consistent in the stand, which is also that of the first three Prime Ministers, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak and Tun Hussein, 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.

By “secular”, we do not mean anti-religion, anti-God, anti-Islam, anti-Christianity, anti-Buddhism, anti-Hinduism or anti-Sikkhism but a state polity which is morality-based and pro-Islam, pro-Christianity, pro-Buddhism, pro-Hinduism and pro-Sikkhism in defending and enhancing the multi-religious characteristics and diversity of the Malaysian nation.

Is it possible that 46 years later, DAP is now seeking to establish a Christian state when no DAP leader or any DAP policy document had ever referred to it?

Second reason why only fools or knaves or those who are both could believe it.

Christians are the third-largest religious groups in Malaysia viz Muslim 60.4%, Buddhist 19.2%, Christian 9.1% and Hindu 6.3%, Confucianism, Taoism, other traditional Chinese religions 2.6%.

Third reason why only fools or knaves or those who are both could believe it.

There are at most some 35 Christian MPs in Parliament or about one-sixth of the total Parliamentary strength – a far cry from the two-thirds of 148 MPs out of a total of 222 MPs required to amend the Federal Constitution to establish a Christian state.

Fourth reason why only fools or knaves or those who are both could believe the lie about a campaign to establish a Christian Malaysia and DAP’s involvement in this campaign.

For the same reasons, mainstream and social media which perpetrated and disseminated these lies and falsehoods are either fools, knaves or both.

Malaysian voters must demonstrate that they are not so easily duped by such lies and falsehoods in the 13th General Election and to be brave and visionary enough to effect the changes in the national political landscape which are necessary to place the country on a right footing in nation building after five decades of corruption, economic plunder, abuses of power and the divisive politics of race and religion.