LETTER | I am writing in response to a news report, where Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim commented on secularism.

Since the last general election, non-Muslim voters have been told to be wary of the "Green Wave" engendered by Perikatan Nasional, where PAS is a dominant player.

As we know, PN had made much headway during GE15 and almost formed the federal government. We were told that if we are not careful at the ballot boxes, the country will slide further down towards Talibanism.

The most recent example of this is how DAP chairperson Lim Guan Eng was alleged to have told Penang voters in a ceramah about the prospects of temples being demolished if PN were to rule the state after the upcoming elections in six states.

The unity government has a convenient boogeyman - PAS. Often supporters of the unity government characterised PAS leaders as turban-clad conservatives more concerned about nurses' uniforms than the advent of artificial intelligence or globalisation.

There's no denying that PAS leaders have themselves to blame, through their own words and deeds, for the anxiety and consternation they elicit from the non-Muslims. The recent brouhaha over the nurses' uniform is a case in point.

But it would be overly simplistic to pin the so-called "Green Wave" only on PN, which is not even part of the unity government. Whether we realise it or not, the Anwar administration has also been strident in its Islamism agenda.

The latest example is his announcement that Malaysia is not a secular country, meaning to say that religion and state cannot be totally separated.

This is a very slippery slope as it throws open far and wide the floodgates for religious doctrines to come into our daily personal lives.

As it is, the non-Muslims already have to contend with the creeping Islamisation, partly due to competition for the Malay-Muslim votes between the unity government and PN.

Whatever happened to the DAP and the moderates in PKR, who had in the past, vehemently opposed the increasingly overt Islamisation?

Didn't they make a hue and cry when former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad announced that Malaysia was an Islamic state back when he was running the country the first time around?

Act 355

In case the non-Muslims have forgotten, Anwar's pronouncement of Malaysia not being a secular state is not his only political posturing to win over the Malay votes.

His cabinet, according to Malay Mail on May 25, is mulling tabling the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965, better known as Act 355 in Parliament.

While Act 355 had been around for a long time, not even former ministers Najib Abdul Razak, Mahathir, Muhyiddin Yassin or Ismail Sabri Yaakob took it that far.

But Anwar, confident that the non-Malay voters are behind him all the way, decided to push his luck.

Let's not forget that recently, Anwar had wanted the Islamic Development Malaysia Department (Jakim) to be empowered with a policy-making role.

His call came across as rather strange as the department is known more for controversial stances over issues like non-Muslims' use of the word "Allah" and unilateral conversions. Plus, Jakim is not known for its expertise in economic or education policies.

Even Anwar's "Madani" concept is said to be inspired by the Madinah-based Surah in the Al-Quran, which was revealed after Prophet Muhammad's hijrah from Mecca to Madinah.

No recent PMs have ever used Islamic-inspired slogans to stamp their marks in their respective administration. In recent times, we've had 1Malaysia, Malaysia Baru, Kerajaan Prihatin and Keluarga Malaysia.

To conclude, Anwar is pushing the envelope on Islamism as he desperately tries to establish his Islamic credentials in the run-up to the state polls. He's probably confident that the non-Muslims will continue to back his unity government come what may.

But in doing so, he's pushing the nation down the sliding slope of Islamism, as the "point of no return" no longer lies in the distant horizon but approaches dangerously close and fast.

The "Green Wave" is not something that will sweep the country when PN takes over Putrajaya. It is something that is already here, and by the looks of it, is deeply ingrained in the Anwar administration.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.