The irony of attacking liberalism and secularism in a democratic country

We, the undersigned civil society organisations, condemn the startling declaration made by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who has vowed to fight against secularism and liberalism through the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government and the alliance with UMNO and PAS. The Prime Minister, knowing the instability of the PN government which he leads, has mischievously opted for the age-old regressive tactic of trying to retain the support of religious and racial fundamentalists by attacking the principles of secularism and liberalism in Malaysia.

The Prime Minister must be reminded of the constitutional and historical context to Malayan independence and later the formation of Malaysia through MA63 by Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak and, briefly, Singapore. These respective states consented to the formation of a secular Malaysia, not an Islamic state.

The Reid Commission, which drafted the Federal Constitution, clearly acknowledged “Islam as the official religion of the federation, but it shall not impose any disability on non-Muslim nationals professing their own religions and shall not imply that the state is not a secular state.” This position was preserved time and again by our founding father Tunku Abdul Rahman, whose 30th death anniversary fell on 6 December, and the Alliance Party under his leadership.

As the current Prime Minister seems ignorant of this crucial reality, we hope this clarification may prevent him from further manipulating facts to fit his selfish political ambitions. We hope this statement will help to enlighten the Prime Minister of secularism and liberalism as well. Both schools of thought promote cooperation, encourage harmony and develop acceptance by acknowledging, respecting the differences within society. Recognising diversity and celebrating its strength is the very basis of our national motto, “Bersekutu Bertambah Mutu”.

In the Malaysian context, secularism champions the positive virtues of multi-ethnic cooperation that disallows discrimination against an individual or community due to their religious belief or ethnicity. Instead of harping and vilifying secularism, the Prime Minister needs to understand that separation of religion from politics, the protection of freedom of religion and the equal respect of all religious beliefs are the primary principles embedded in the secularism which are foundational ideas upon which our country was built.

On liberalism, we are obliged to reiterate the existence of liberal values in the preamble to our Rukun Negara. Serving as our national ideology, it says:

• Achieving and fostering better unity amongst the society;
• Preserving a democratic way of life;
• Creating a just society where the prosperity of the country can be enjoyed together in a fair and equitable manner
• Ensuring a liberal approach towards the rich and varied cultural traditions;
• Building a progressive society that will make use of science and modern technology.