KOTA KINABALU: Human rights advocate Daniel John Jambun of Borneo’s Plight in Malaysia Foundation (BoPiMaFo) today issued a response to remarks by Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor, Director of PAS Central Election Operations, who recently stated that PAS will “take over the country and control the political system to return Islam as the main basis of governance.”
Daniel said that while PAS is entitled to advocate for its political vision through democratic means, any attempt to redefine Malaysia as an Islamic State must respect the constitutional foundations of the Federation — including the rights and position of Sabah and Sarawak under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
“Sanusi must recognise that Malaysia cannot be redefined unilaterally.
Sabah and Sarawak did not enter Malaysia as passive territories.
We entered as equal partners with specific constitutional safeguards concerning religion, identity, and native rights,” Daniel said.
He emphasised that Malaysia is not constituted as an Islamic State, citing judicial interpretation in Che Omar bin Che Soh (1988), and noted that any fundamental change to the character of the Federation must be done through constitutional processes that require the explicit participation and agreement of Sabah and Sarawak.
“Sanusi speaks of ‘taking over’ the country to install Islam as the primary basis of rule.
But he does not acknowledge that such a transformation touches the founding terms of the Federation itself — terms which Sabah and Sarawak never surrendered,” Daniel added.
Daniel stressed that Sabah and Sarawak’s plural religious and cultural identity is protected under the Constitution, through provisions on freedom of religion (Article 11), native safeguards (Articles 153 & 161A), and through the MA63 framework that recognised their unique status.
“PAS cannot build an Islamic State over Sabah and Sarawak — only with Sabah and Sarawak’s consent.
That is the constitutional reality Sanusi must accept,” Daniel said.
Responding to Sanusi’s insinuation that current federal leadership lacks Islamic grounding, Daniel warned against framing constitutional pluralism as moral failure.
“Malaysia’s unity does not rest on dominance, but on honouring the equal dignity of each community under the Constitution.
Islam does not require the erasure of others — and MA63 does not allow it,” he noted.
Malaysia’s constitutional structure is plural, not theocratic
MA63 established conditions of entry for Sabah & Sarawak that cannot be overridden unilaterally
Any attempt to alter Malaysia’s constitutional identity requires their consent
The rights of non-Muslims and natives are not obstacles to Islam — they are protected principles of the Federation
“If Sanusi and PAS want to transform Malaysia into an Islamic State, they must begin by openly acknowledging that Sabah and Sarawak’s agreement is constitutionally required — not optional. Anything less would violate the very terms that created Malaysia,” Daniel concluded.
