PM CHIMES IN ON "ISLAMIC STATE" DEBATE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUALA LUMPUR 001278

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP/MTS AND DRL -- SARAH BUCKLEY

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/09/2017
TAGS: PGOV KDEM SOCI KISL MY
SUBJECT: PM CHIMES IN ON "ISLAMIC STATE" DEBATE

REF: A. KUALA LUMPUR 1174 (NAJIB'S ISLAMIC STATE REMARK)


B. KUALA LUMPUR 949 (COURT RULES AGAINST APOSTATE)

C. 06 KUALA LUMPUR 2167 (UMNO EXTENDING MALAY AGENDA)

D. 06 KUALA LUMPUR 1975 (MALAYSIA'S CHINESE MINORITY)

E. 06 KUALA LUMPUR 1516 (RELIGIOUS FREEDOM DEBATE
WARNINGS)

Classified By: Political Section Chief Mark D. Clark
for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

Summary
--------------


1. (C) The debate over whether Malaysia is an "Islamic
state" continued with Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi's August
4 comments that Malaysia is neither a theocratic state nor a
secular one. These remarks came as Minister Bernard Dompok
broke ranks and stated his disagreement with the description
of Malaysia as an Islamic state. Dompok supported the
"Merdeka Statement" which calls for Malaysia to use its
multicultural and multi-religious diversity to complete
Malaysia's political, social, and economic development.
Prime Minister Badawi's non-declaration, while still leaving
him vulnerable to criticism from the Malay right-wing, is
probably the safest route to denying the divisive "Islamic
state" issue further energy ahead of general elections. End
Summary.

Prime Minister Responds by Taking the Middle Ground
-------------- --------------


2. (U) Debate continues over whether Malaysia is an "Islamic
state," following Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak's remarks
to this effect on July 17 (ref A). Prime Minister Abdullah
Badawi, who was abroad when the controversy first broke,
responded to journalist inquiries on the issue on August 4.
Badawi said, "We are not a secular state. We are also not a
theocratic state like Iran and Pakistan which PAS (Malaysia's
Islamist opposition party) wants us to be, but we are a
government that is based on parliamentary democracy." He
also noted, "We (the government) consist of leaders from the
various religions -- Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and
Christianity and everyone is involved in discussions to reach
a consensus on national development policies."

Minister Breaks Ranks
--------------


3. (U) Bernard Dompok, Minister in the Prime Minister's
Office, stated at the launching of the "Merdeka Statement,"
an civil society-driven agenda for the country's future, that
he disagrees with his "colleagues in the government" that
Malaysia is an Islamic state. Dompok, a Christian who heads
the United Pasok-Momogun Kadazandusun Organization (UPKO, a
Sabah political party),argued that the nation's founders did
not intend for Malaysia to be an Islamic state when they
created the Malaysian Federation in 1963, after Sabah,
Sarawak, and Singapore joined with Malaya. One of nine
non-Muslim ministers out of 32 total ministers, Dompok is the
only Minister to object publicly to the Islamic state claim.
Opposition party leader Lim Kit Siang praised Dompok's
comments for their "honesty, courage, and conviction in
speaking the truth that Malaysia is not an Islamic State."

Merdeka Statement
--------------


4. (SBU) Forty-two local civil society organizations
contributed over a six-month period to the development of the
Merdeka (Freedom) Statement, the release of which is timed to
coincide with Malaysia's 50th independence anniversary. The
wide-range of NGOs includes the Malaysian Bar, the Human
Rights Society of Malaysia (HAKAM),the Centre for
Independent Journalism, Sisters in Islam, the Council of
Malaysian Churches and Education & Research Association for
Consumers (ERA Consumer). The Merdeka Statement advocates
the government adopt an eight-prong strategy for moving
Malaysia forward as a fully developed nation. The core
element of the strategy is using Malaysia's multicultural,
multilingual, and multi-religious character to advance the
country's social, economical, and political development. The
Merdeka Statement focuses heavily on the supremacy of the
Federal Constitution as "the primary reference point for
strengthening national unity," which its drafters see as
implicitly backing arguments in favor of Malaysia as a
secular state.

Comment
--------------

KUALA LUMP 00001278 002 OF 002




5. (C) Prime Minister Abdullah's non-declaration, while
still leaving him vulnerable to criticism from Malay Muslim
conservatives, is probably the safest route to denying the
"Islamic State" issue further energy and avoiding
divisiveness within the ranks of the National Front
government ahead of the general elections. This is
consistent with the Prime Minister's approach to the Article
11 controversy last year (ref E). When public debate of
Article 11, the freedom of religion clause in Malaysia's
Constitution, heated up, Abdullah warned both sides to stop
the discussion and took the issue off the table, at least in
public forums. The government's heavy influence over the
media and other societal controls can restrain the public
debate, but leaves the fundamental issue unresolved.

LAFLEUR