Speech by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, at DAP Banting Branch dinner to celebrate its official opening held in Banting, Selangor on Thursday, 20th June 1991 at 8 p.m.
DAP will oppose any attempt by Kelantan State Government to follow in the footsteps of Selangor Barisan Nasional government to introduce Islamic laws on conversion of non-Muslim children below 18 years without parental consent or knowledge
It has been reported that the Kelantan State Government is considering introducing legislation to follow in the footsteps of the Selangor Barisan Nasional State Government to introduce Islamic laws on conversion of non-Muslim children below 18 years without parental consent.
Dao wants to make it very clear that it will oppose any attempt by the Kelantan State Government to introduce a similar Selangor Islamic Law administration Enactment (SILAE) where non-Muslim children below 18 years could be converted to Islam without parental consent or knowledge.
Such a provision will not only against the Federal Constitution in providing for freedom of religion as well as the unfettered right of parents to the custody, control; and guardianship of their children, but will undermine the integrity of the family unit and even more serious, do great damage to inter-racial and inter-religious harmony in the country.
It is most deplorable that the Selangor Barisan Nasionial State Government, with the full support of the MCA and MIC Assemblyman, should have set the shocking example of enacting the Selangor Islamic Law Administration Enactment (SILAE) in 1989.
Now, the Kelantan State Government is considering following what the MCA and MIC in Selangor had agreed in the Selangor Islamic Law Administration Enactment.
The MCA is again up to its double-standards, opposing the Kelantan State Government introducing a state enactment which will allow non-Muslim children below 18 years to convert o Islam without parental consent or knowledge, but giving such a law full support in the Selangor State Assembly. It is no wonder that the MCA has lost all credibility in the country.
The DAP will always be consistent. We oppose the Selangor Islamic Law Administration Enactment in providing for he conversion to Islam of non-Muslim children below 18 years to convert o Islam without parental consent or knowledge, and we will equally oppose such a law if passed by the Kelantan State Government.
MCA and MIC are pressuring PAS in Kelantan by their Selangor example to have an ‘negeri Islamic’ in Kelantan
In fully supporting the SILAE, the MCA and MIC have gravely undermined the freedom of religion and parental rights to unfettered control, custody and guardianship of their children and integrity of the family unit.
What is worse, the SILAE is being used by PAS to justify why it should also have a similar law in Kelantan!
This means that it is MCA and MIC which are pressuring PAS, by their support of the SILAE< to also turn Kelantan into a ‘negeri Islam’!
MCA and MIC leadership should announce withdraw of support for SILAE, and also withdraw from Selangor BN Government if the Selangor Mentri Besar refuses to convene emergency Assembly to amend SILAE
PAS is being put in a position whereby they have to justify why they could not enact a state Islamic law allowing non-Muslim children below 18 years to convert to Islam when in Selangor, MCA and MIC should support the enactment of such a law!
Before MCA and MIC do more harm and damage to the triple constitutional and fundamental rights of non-Muslim Malaysians, with regard to their freedom of religion, the parental right to unfettered control, custody and guardianship of their children, and the right to the integrity of the family unit, the MCA and MIC leadership in Selangor and the nation should publicly announce the withdraw of their support for the Selangor Islamic Law Administration Enactment.
The MCA and MIC leaderships must get the Selangor Mentri Besar, Tan Sri Mohamed Taib, to agree to the convening of an emergency meeting of the Selangor Assembly to amend Section 67 and 71 of the Selangor Islamic Law Administration Enactment-failing which the MCA and MIC should withdraw from the Selangor Barisan Nasional Government!
DAP calls on the Kelantan State Government not to follow the example of UMNO, MCA and MIC in adopting a similar-type of SILAE
Finally, the DAP calls on the Kelantan State Government not to follow the example of UMNO, MCA and MIC in Selangor in enacting a similar type of Islamic Law Administration Enactment allowing for the conversion to Islam of non-Muslim children below 18 years without parental consent or knowledge.