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Total unconcern and disregard  of MCA leaders and delegates at the 50th MCA General Assembly  about the grave issue of  Islamic State, whether PAS or UMNO, the greatest disappointment as it  is continued proof of MCA’s political irrelevance and marginalization Media Statement by Lim Kit Siang (Penang,  Monday): The total unconcern and disregard  of MCA leaders and delegates at the 50th MCA General Assembly  about the grave  issue of  Islamic State, whether PAS or UMNO, is the greatest disappointment as it is continued proof of MCA’s political irrelevance and marginalization.  Malaysia is today at the  crossroads, facing the second great test in its 46-year nation-building history, facing two choices:  Continue to uphold and defend Bapa Malaysia Tunku Abdul Rahman’s nation-building formula of Malaysia as a democratic, secular and multi-religious nation with Islam as the official religion but Malaysia is not an Islamic state, whether ala-PAS or ala-UMNO; or Allow the 1957  Merdeka Constitution, the 1963 Malaysia Agreement and the 1970 Rukunegara to be violated, jettisoning the “social contract” reached by the forefathers of the major communities in achieving Independence in 1957 and creating Malaysia in 1963, with Malaysia  set on the road of an Islamic State after the next general election, starting with the “929 Declaration” that Malaysia is an Islamic State proclaimed at the Gerakan national delegates’ conference on Sept. 29, 2001. Twenty years ago, at the grand  80th birthday dinner for Tunku Abdul Rahman  on Feb. 8, 1983 hosted by the Barisan Nasional leaders  headed by Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamd, Bapa Malaysia expressed his greatest concern for the nation  when he  publicly urged government and  Barisan Nasional leaders, whether UMNO, MCA, Gerakan or MIC,  to remain true   to the Malaysian Constitution and “not to turn Malaysia into an Islamic State”.  Tunku’s call “Not to turn Malaysia into an Islamic State”  was reported with approbation  on the front pages of all language newspapers the next day, whether New Straits Times, Star, Sin Chew Jit Poh, Nanyang Siang Pao, Kwang Wah Jit Poh, China Press, Utusan Malaysia or Berita Harian.  When Tunku made the famous “Don’t Turn Malaysia into an Islamic State” call to Barisan Nasional leaders and Malaysians, all the Barisan Nasional parties supported without question or qualification the stand that Malaysia is a democratic, secular and multi-religious nation.  Tunku’s call also had the support of all  Opposition parties, except for PAS, at the time. Twenty years  later today, all the Barisan Nasional parties have turned their back on Tunku’s call and  made a somersault  to cravenly  accept  that Malaysia is an Islamic State, in line with the unconstitutional and arbitrary “929 Declaration” by Mahathir that Malaysia is an Islamic State. In the opposition,  DAP  stands alone as the  only party to take a clear, principled and uncompromising stand to  defend and uphold the 46-year constitutional compact that Malaysia was founded as a democratic, secular and multi-religious nation with Islam as the official religion but Malaysia is not an Islamic state. With the change of MCA leadership, the 50th MCA General Assembly yesterday was to herald a new MCA – but if the MCA leaders and delegates lack the courage and conviction to return to the  fundamental principle and belief which MCA  had held steadfastly for 48 years of its half-century history that Malaysia is a democratic, secular and multi-religious nation and not an Islamic state, then there could be no  new MCA. At the end of last month, Mahathir said in Miri that Malaysians must protect and enhance the nation-building  formula of the country’s first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman.  Malaysians as a whole, and the Malaysian Chinese in particular, are entitled to know why the new MCA leadership has abandoned  Tunku’s nation-building formula and turned its back to his injunction “Don’t Turn Malaysia into an Islamic State”.  (11/8/2003) * Lim Kit Siang, DAP National Chairman