PAS is serious in fielding women candidates for the coming general election and will not impose a limitation on the number of seats they can contest, said party secretary general Nasharudin Mat Isa today.

He said there was no reason for anyone to doubt their commitment about this since PAS had always accepted nominations of candidates from the Dewan Muslimat (women's wing).

"This is not something new. We have done so in the past. In 1959 a Muslimat member Khadijah Sidek ran for a parliamentary seat. We are merely reviving a policy we agreed to a long time ago," he said referring to the female PAS MP for Dungun, Terengganu.

He said the practice was abandoned for the past 44 years simply because there was no demand made by the Muslimat to contest in the elections.

"However, the current situation has led us to think hard about this. There are many women-related issues that need to addressed by the women themselves.

"We know it is essential for us to have women representatives," he added in a press conference to announce the PAS Muktamar (General Assembly) scheduled for Sept 10-14.

Political gimmick

Recently, PAS leaders announced that women would be given a chance to contest in the elections to show that the party recognised the important role that women play.

However, Umno leaders alleged that the party was not serious and that it was a mere political gimmick to win the support of women.

Denying the allegation that the top leadership did not favour the active involvement of women in the party, Nasharudin said PAS leaders had done nothing to discourage women's presence at the frontline.

He said the Muslimat was also free to send as many nominations to contest in the party election.

"There is no maximum number of seats open for contesting by female candidates. In fact we have one division in Sabah where all its exco members are women, except for the Youth chief," he added.

Party election

On the Muktamar, he reiterated the party's stand to open all posts for contest including for president.

Asked if there were any written code of ethics to regulate party election, Nasharudin said there were no such thing but there were several tacitly-agreed rules that have to be adhered to.

"There is an all-round consensus on certain basic principles of conduct on the part of all PAS candidates such as the rules against lobbying (in support of individual candidates) and jostling for position," he said.

Explaining the election process, the secretary-general said the minimum requirement to qualify to contest any posts was two nominations. Nominations from all local branches in the country would be sent to their respective state divisions.

The state divisions would then relay the nominations to the party elections committee led by Youth vice-chief Idris Ahmad.

"If the conditions for nominations are fulfilled, the letters would be issued to the individuals concerned informing them (of their nomination)," he said.