BUKIT MERTAJAM (PENANG) - PRIME Minister Abdullah Badawi yesterday emphasised that Malaysia is neither a secular nor a theocratic state but a country that practises parliamentary democracy, reported Bernama.

He told reporters after a function here: 'We are not a secular state. We are also not a theocratic state like Iran and Pakistan which PAS wants us to be, but we are a government that is based on parliamentary democracy.'

PAS is the acronym of the opposition Parti Islam SeMalaysia.

He was making these remarks for the first time since his deputy, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, said on July 18 that Malaysia was 'an Islamic state', in response to a reporter's question at an Islamic conference in Kuala Lumpur.

Datuk Seri Najib said then: 'We have never been secular because being secular by Western definition means separation of the Islamic principles in the way we govern a country.'

His use of the loaded term 'Islamic state', which former premier Mahathir Mohamad publicly seconded, sent ripples of shock throughout the country's non-Muslim community at a time when the country is already grappling with rising inter-religious disputes and racial clashes.

In the ensuing uproar, Umno Youth warned the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), the second-largest component party in the 14-member ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, not to keep declaring Malaysia a secular state.

MCA retorted that it would not back down because its relationship with other BN component parties was 'not one of master and slave'.

Then, in an interview with The Straits Times that was published on July 30, Datuk Seri Najib said there was no need to be overly alarmed because Malaysia had 'integrated Islam', and that the government had 'defined Islam in a way that protects the interests of non-Muslims'.

Yesterday, Bernama also quoted Datuk Seri Abdullah as saying that independent Malaysia had developed successfully throughout its 50 years because the government 'consists 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'.