Is Malaysia an Islamic or Secular State?

The debates are still on-going but there appears to be no seriousness in Malaysia to end the polemics once and for all. Ending the polemics might not be possible but if there is a forum to explain to the men-in-the-street of whether Malaysia is an Islamic or secular state, then, I think, the issue would continue to be sensasionalised. The national-level forum should involve high-ranking government officials, academics, community leaders and those approriate individuals. The discussion should stick to fact than emotion by looking at the Federal Constitution--the highest law in Malaysia and the basis in which Malaysia was born. So far, the PM and DPM have failed to give satisfactory response on the issue. The MCA representative, so far, did a better job by furnishing various documents to support the secularist argument. But I, in particular, am touched by the analysis by Dr. Chandra Muzaffar of JUST who neither stated Malaysia being an Islamic state nor a secular one. He simply stated that Malaysia is a country that practices parliamentary democracy. I like Dr. Chandra's moderate and conciliatory approach than that of DPM and other UMNO politicians. The PM could have done a better job had he defended his view convincingly and invited Malaysian to a healthy debate on the issue. In the final analysis, to answer the question posted, my view is that MALAYSIA IS NOT AN ISLAMIC STATE, NOR IS IT A FULL SECULAR STATE. IT IS A SEMI-SECULAR STATE THAT PRACTICES PARLIAMENTARY DEMOCRACY. By SEMI-SECULAR it is meant that though the element of being a secular country exists in the Malaysian Constitution, one must not forget the fact that there're also religious elements being practised in the administration particularly those related to the religion of Islam. But those elements do not make Malaysia an Islamic state. It is just that it has been practised as part of the Malaysian heritage. We should preserve and defend the constitution as it is and ensure that it is not misinterpreted to serve the veiled interests of certain people.

Growing Unemployment in Malaysia? Perhaps here's the proof...

I went to accompany my cousin for a job interview at Kolej Yayasan Sabah. We did not expect that so many people (mostly young graduates) would attend. We came quite early, at 8.30 a.m. The first group of people who came with us numbered around 30-40. Then, after one hour later, the number swelled to 50, 60, and 100 just before lunch break. By 1.00 p.m. the number of people came to 200 and growing. This scenario reflects the problem facing the Malaysian workforce in particular young and fresh graduates. Based on my random conversations with those who attended, I knew that they were really desperate to find a job. In fact, my cousin has been jobless (I mean failing to find a permanent job) for 2-3 years after getting his degree from a public university. In Sabah, one can see a lot of shopping complexes being built not to mention countless of other construction projects. Well, I am not sure if these could be translated into jobs that would benefit the locals particularly the young graduates. The problem is, I think, there're too many university graduates with limited number of jobs created. In the economic terms, the supply has outnumbered the demand. Certainly, the economist, Mohd. Ariff of MIER, is right when he said that despite Malaysia's encouraging economic development, the serious problem of unemployment still persists. I am worried that if this problem continues, Malaysia's pool of human capital would be wasted to the detriment of our dream to achieve Vision 2020.