Patricia Martinez's two-part analysis 'Malaysia as an Islamic state' (Nov 15) is a stark reminder to all those cherishing freedom of religious worship that Umno is determined to bring about an Islamic state in Malaysia at all costs.

So far the only one voicing his concern over this scenario with all its dire consequences on non-Muslims and Muslims who are opposed to an Islamic state is DAP chairperson Lim Kit Siang who spoke about the tectonic shift of nation-building in Malaysia from a secular nation to an Islamic state with current debate on whose brand of Islamic state should prevail - Umno's or PAS'. But his appears to be the only voice in the wilderness.

To all those who still believe that the multi-racial and multi-religious features of Malaysia will make an Islamic state impossible, think again. Think not only of the current debate as regards Umno's or PAS' Islamic state, but also the latest population statistics which show bumiputras to be in an overwhelming majority of 65 percent against non-bumiputras at 35 percent.

These two events are inter-related and reinforce each other. Since Merdeka in 1957, Umno started the process of altering the multi-racial and multi-religious edifice of the country to make it more Malay and Muslim because it rejected the cardinal principle that Malaysia is a multi-racial and multi-religious country.

To Umno, Malaysia is a Malay country and where non-Malay opposition politicians had fought hard to preserve the multi-racial and multi-religious features of the country, Umno had consistently worked to undermine it.

As Umno held the political power which was bequeathed to it by the British, Umno's will prevailed, and the present 65 percent bumiputra majority as reflected in the latest statistics is the culmination of Umno's long-term measures initiated in the aftermath of the May 13, 1969 racial riots in KL which included allowing illegal Indonesian immigrants to enter the country and settle down. And the latter's higher birthrate have subsequently helped to inflate the Malay population because they are Muslims and hence considered bumiputras.

Has anyone ever bothered to ponder seriously Dr Mahathir Mohamad's advocacy of a 70 million population for Malaysia some years back? Although Mahathir was reported as saying that Malaysia has the natural resources to support such a huge population, his more sinister long-term motive is to encourage the Malays/Muslims to produce as many children as possible, so that their numbers will overwhelm those of the non-Muslims. And the periodical government statistics showing a bumiputra population increase reflects this. The statistics deliberately lump Malays and other bumiputras together to highlight the fact that they are overwhelming so as to create psychological fears among the non-Muslims that they are being swamped.

Those who have been following the announcement of the statistics from time to time will not be wrong if they envisage that at the next release of government population statistics, the bumiputra proportion may go up to as high as 70 or 80 percent. What will be even more disturbing is Umno using the inflated bumiputra population figures to justify bigger quotas in local university places and what have you at the expense of the non-Muslims, and this will be a harbinger to a further erosion of their already weakened rights in Malaysia.

A time will come when the 70 million population target will be reached, and S Samy Vellu's fears that there will be no more need for non-Muslim parties would have been borne out, and Malaysia will be exactly like Indonesia with all the dire consequences for non-Muslim minorities.

The issue of latest population statistics cannot be separated from the issue of the debate of an Islamic state between Umno and PAS. Because virtually all Malays are Muslims, Umno will use their increased population to justify its moves to turn the country into an Islamic state. Umno does not care two hoots about what MCA and Gerakan leaders say because Umno uses the inflated Muslim statistics to constantly remind MCA and Gerakan about the minority status of the Chinese, and not to forget that they are still overseas Chinese, not Malaysians! Clearly Umno is preoccupied with winning Malay support lost to PAS in 1999 and is using the Islamic state issue to outbid PAS.

Umno has the chicanery of saying different things to different audiences. To non-Muslim audiences, Hamid Othman's government policies will not change, but to Muslim audiences, the briefings are on a booklet Malaysia is an Islamic state/nation and are entirely different in the sense that they are "bringing policy and law into line until the aim of upholding Islam in the national system is fully implemented".

It is clear that Umno's real message is the briefing to the Muslims, telling them that an Islamic state is imminent and would only be in a matter of time.

MCA's Dr Ling Liong Sik's reaction of Malaysia being a "secular Islamic state" and "a rose can be called by any other name and still be sweet" seems to parrot Mahathir's assurance that non-Muslims need not worry about Malaysia being an Islamic state as it has already been one for 44 years, and betray the MCA president's stupidity in an issue where he should be voicing his grave concern on behalf of the Chinese as the top Chinese leader in the BN.

Mahathir's track record, when you look at his pledges to Suqiu, shows that one can't trust him as there is nothing to stop him from retracting what he had earlier pledged.

Mahathir can ride rough-shod over the Chinese because the BN's policies over the decades have weakened and marginalised them. It is like what one sees in the animal kingdom in the National Geographic series where the strong bully the weak. Just look at the way Mahathir is trying to please the United States and China, simply because they are powerful.

For an Islamic state to come into being, a two-third majority in Parliament is required to amend the constitution. There are sufficient numbers of secular-minded Malays, Chinese, Indians and other ethnic groups to instruct their MPs in Parliament to deny Umno and PAS the required majority to amend the constitution to this effect.

But unfortunately the overwhelming majority of them are in the BN and if Umno somehow finds ways and means to secure their support to usher in an Islamic state, then all Malaysians irrespective of race and religion, who cherish freedom of religious worship which comes with a secular way of life, must look for external help from the UN or other international bodies which are committed against racial and religious discrimination.

There is still time to preserve the secular nature of the country which its constitution has so studiously provided for when it became independent in 1957.