Malay is Muslim, Muslim not necessarily Malay

This controversy over what is a Malay and what is a Muslim has precipitated finally, thanks to the Constitution on the definition of what is a Malay or who can represent the Malay community as a minority President. According to Article 19B of the Singapore Constitution, "any person, whether of the Malay race or otherwise, who considers himself to be a member of the Malay community and who is generally accepted as a member of the Malay community by that community" is qualified to run as a candidate for the reserved EP for Malays.
 
The dichotomy between a Malay and a Muslim has never been in question or was a non issue before. It was not important enough or there was reason to want a clearer definition of a Malay and a Muslim. It is common knowledge that all or nearly all Malays are Muslim, with a few exceptions. For those Malays that are non Muslim, I am not sure if the Malay community still regards them as Malays or ex communicado.
 
On the other hand, all Muslims are not necessarily Malay. One can be a Muslim from any race or nationality. A Muslim can be European, Caucasian, Arabs, Pakstani, Indian, African or Chinese and living totally different ways of life. Ok the Singapore Constitution understood this and further clarified that a Malay is not only a Muslim but practises Malay way of life. The ‘otherwise’ in the Constitution is very extensive and inclusive to the extent that anyone not of the Malay race can be considered as a Malay if the Malay community, reads as the Committee set up by the govt, accepts the person as a Malay.
 
The big issue, what is this reserved EP all about? Isn’t it about the election of a Malay rather than anyone not of Malay ethnicity? A Malay is a Malay by ethnicity. Period. Though this is further complicated by mixed marriages, a person that has no Malay ethnicity in him despite him practising the Malay way of life and being a Muslim, is not a Malay by any means except by a round about way of interpreting what is written in the Constitution.
 
Coming to this big question of a Malay that is not a Muslim. Does the Malay community regard a Malay that is a non Muslim a Malay or no longer a Malay? What about the legal interpretation of a Malay? Is it by ethnicity or by religion? Legally, I would presume that Malay parents or mixed Malay parents that are not Muslims but chose to register their children as Malay at birth have the right to do so and no one can deny that they are Malays when registered. Things get more complicated should non Malay Muslim parents decide to register their children as Malay at birth. What would be the status of such persons legally? Malay or non Malay? Going forward, with the EP pie beckoning, would Pakistanis, Indians and Pinoys choose to register their children as Malay to take advantage of this loophole? Would the babas also do likewise?
 
How would this debate continue and would it lead to a better definition of what constitute a person being accepted as a Malay or would the definition in the Constitution be final and the end of the story? Is this mess necessary or can be avoided? There is no such problem before this minority EP thing.