Bernard Dompok was the only Minister who refused to withdraw his signature for the memorandum to the Prime Minister in January 2006 seeking a review of the laws that deprived the legal rights of non-Muslims such as Article 121(1A) of the Federal Constitution

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Press Statement

by Lim Guan Eng

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(Petaling Jaya, Saturday): MCA President Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting should practice what he preaches when he insisted two days ago that the 1957 social contract must be respected by supporting Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Bernard Dompok in and outside Cabinet that Malaysia is not an Islamic state. What is the point for Ong to make a beautiful opening speech that is only published in the front-page Sin Chew Jit Poh on 2.8.2007 that any failure to observe the social contract would damage the country social fabric when he dares not do so in the Malay press or state his stand in Parliament and Cabinet? 

On 2.8.2007 Bernard said that the nation’s founders did not have in mind an Islamic state when the Federation of Malaysia was formed in 1963 with Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak. (Singapore subsequently left the Federation on August 7 1965) This is not the first time that Bernard has consistently supported DAP’s position that Malaysia is not an Islamic state.  

In January 2006, Bernard was the only Minister out of the 9 non-Muslim Ministers who refused to withdraw his signature to a memorandum submitted by them seeking a review of laws that deprives the legal rights of non-Muslims such as Article 121(1A) of the Federal Constitution. When Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi rejected the request by the 9 non-Muslim Ministers without even accepting the memo, Abdullah directed that they withdraw it on their own voluntarily. All the non-Muslim Ministers led by Ong Ka Ting meekly complied and withdrew except for Bernard Dompok. 

On 2.8.2007, Bernard became the first Minister to break the gag order imposed by the Prime Minister and spoke out against the Islamic state. For being consistent and principled in his defending the 1957 social contract that clearly spelled out Malaysia as a secular and not an Islamic state, Dompok should be saluted for his courage and conviction as well as integrity. 

There is no point asking Gerakan National Advisor Datuk Dr Lim Keng Yaik to follow Bernard’s example when the unilateral declaration that Malaysia was an Islamic state by former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed was made in front of Keng Yaik during the Gerakan National Assembly. Neither is there any point asking MIC President Datuk Samy Vellu when he is ready to sink and swim with UMNO. Nor the SUPP Minister who is too obsessed with their internal power struggle to bother about national or people’s issues. 

Ong Ka Ting should take the opportunity to dispel the impression that he is no different from past MCA Presidents in blindly supporting UMNO’s policies. Otherwise whoever is the MCA President or MP is irrelevant as it is no different from “changing the soup without changing the medicine”.