Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - A senior Cabinet Minister has broken ranks with the Deputy Prime Minister on whether Malaysia is an Islamic state or not, reported Malaysiakini.
Mr Bernard Dompok, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, said yesterday that the nation's founding fathers had intended the country to be a secular state when the Federation of Malaysia was formed in 1963.
"I hope my colleagues in the government can forgive me for saying I do not agree we are an Islamic state," Mr Dompok said at an event organised by the Centre for Public Policy Studies.
"People I know would be very unhappy if this type of thing persists," he said, adding that Malaysians would "have to contend with the issue for now".
Mr Dompok also criticised the Malaysian courts for being indecisive on cases concerning religion, reported Malaysiakini. "The judiciary seems to play football with cases. It is neither for Syariah nor civil courts," he said.
Mr Dompok is the first minister to speak out on the controversy following DPM Najib Razak's remarks last month. He had said: "Islam is the official religion and we are an Islamic state."
However, when asked about the spate of religious disputes dominating news headlines, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said: "For those who don't want to be Muslims anymore, what can you do?"
Speaking in his personal capacity, he added: "If they want to leave the religion, what are you going to do? You might as well let them go."