‘Rulers were against Islamic state’

Hindraf chief Waythamoorthy says their unanimous stand was discovered when he scrutinised documents on Malaya's pre-independence talks in the London archives.

GEORGE TOWN: Malay rulers were against any move to turn the country into an Islamic state from the very beginning of the then Malaya independence talks, said Hindraf Makkal Sakti.

Hindraf supremo P Waythamoorthy said the Malay rulers backed an establishment of a secular state to safeguard rights and interests of all Malaysians.

He said documents on pre-independence talks revealed that the Malay rulers wanted Islamic religious matters to be under their jurisdiction.

He said Malaysians must know that during pre-independence days, all states in Malaya were identified and recognised as separate countries.

He said respective rulers wanted control over Islamic religious affairs and maintain a secular state in their respective “countries.”

He said the rulers made a collective representation on this to the Reid Commission through their Queen’s Counsel, Neil Lawson, who was a member of British Communist Party.

The Reid Commission was formed to receive recommendations and draft the Constitution for the imminent independent Federation of Malaya.

“The rulers unanimously agreed and accepted only the proposition and implication of parliamentary democracy and civil law to reign supreme over everything else.

“They never wanted an Islamic state,” Waythamoorthy revealed, pointing out that the system of constitutional monarch was a fundamental foundation of an independent Malaya.

Karpal was right to oppose hudud

He was responding to the political furore caused by PAS’ desire to turn Malaysia into an Islamic state and introduce hudud as the supreme legislation.

He said DAP national chairman and senior parliamentarian Karpal Singh was absolutely right to oppose PAS’ Islamic agenda as unconstitutional.

He said that the Islamisation process of administration started by former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad was unconstitutional and against the spirit of country’s independence.

He said Umno had committed so much unconstitutional misconduct, intimidation and bullying via religious extremism and racism under its 55 years of misrule in the country.

He chided other Barisan Nasional component parties for having been impotent to stop Umno hegemony for half century.

Since pre-independence days, he said the rulers opposed Islamisation of administration and federal government interference or involvement in religious affairs.

Hence, he said an Islamic agenda would be unconstitutional and against the very spirit of independence and wishes of rulers to be just and fair to all Malaysians.

“This was well documented in Malaya’s pre-independence talks,” said Waythamoorthy.

Malay-Muslims not the only citizens

He said the rulers’ unanimous stand against an Islamic state was discovered when he scrutinised documents on Malaya’s pre-independence talks in the London archives.

He extracted about 40,000 documents on Malaya’s pre-independence talks to facilitate Hindraf’s multi-million ringgit class action suit against the UK government.

Waythamoorthy, who returned to Malaysia after five-years in England, filed the suit in the London High Court on July 2.

The suit seeks justice for all the wrongs done by the British government, the country’s former colonial masters, on Malaysia’s ethnic Indians.

Waythamoorthy rubbished suggestions by pro-Islamist groups that the country’s Islamic agenda was an exclusive Malay-Muslim issue and not for others to deliberate on it.

He said the agenda affects about 13 million non-Muslim Malaysians who have equal citizenry rights to oppose any attempt to establish an Islamic state.

He said the pro-Islamist groups should not foolishly talk as if only Malay-Muslims have dignity, rights and sensitivity.

He said ethnic Indian and Chinese communities who represented the world’s earliest civilizations have all the rights to uphold a secular state and civil law supremacy.

“Islamic agenda was matter of national interests and the Malay-Muslims should realise they are not the only citizens in the country.

“It’s the birthright of each Malaysian to debate, deliberate and dispute it,” said Waythamoorthy.