Both Umno and PAS leaders have rebutted a minister's remark that political parties are using Islam "at the expense of the nation" in the battle for votes.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and Umno supreme council member Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz made the remark at a dialogue with the Bar Council last week.

"We are doing a disservice to our nation, we are led into doing something that we don't believe in," Nazri had said, referring to the fact that Umno is being forced to do what PAS has been doing - to use Islam to gain votes.

Nazri had said this in response to a question by a Muslim lawyer as to whether the country is pandering to the whims and fancies of Islamic hardliners.

'This is sad'

When contacted, PAS secretary-general Kamaruddin Jaffar's spontaneous response was: "That reflects his personal difficulty in co-ordinating his personal beliefs and politicking.

"This is sad, he has been a minister for some years, but he is still in a dilemma and confused about what he believes...he must sort this out quickly."

He said PAS leaders do not face this dilemma since the party's leaders promote values that they believe in, and which are based on Islamic teachings.

The PAS leader urged Umno to be clear about its views and values. He also offered to organise a musyakarah (dialogue) with Umno, on matters pertaining to Islam.

Kamaruddin was also asked whether the trend towards Islamisation has gained pace under the premiership of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who has a religious background.

"Umno under Pak Lah (Abdullah) hasn't really come out clearly on anything, let alone on Islamisation. He is very vague on many issues," said the PAS leader, who is also Tumpat MP.

Umno supreme council member Shahrir Samad also disagreed with Nazri's statement.

"That's not true. If we are being trapped into doing something that we don't believe in, then we are not a sincere government...that is wrong," he said when contacted.

On whether the remark was linked to the government's harsh action against the media over the Prophet Muhammad cartoons , he disagreed, saying Islam is a religion of moderation.

"As a multi-racial society, we are not allowed to cast aspersions on other people's beliefs or to degrade the tenets of one another's faith," he said.

Opposing views

However, DAP leader Lim Kit Siang said that, since the 1999 general election, the country has been caught in the competition between Umno and PAS to out-Islamise each other.

The most significant event, he noted, was the '929 declaration' on Sept 29, 2001, by former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad that Malaysia is an Islamic state.

"Although this is a political declaration, as there is no change in the constitution, it has continued to have far-reaching implications because it hardens the tone towards the Islamic direction," Lim said.

"This has made the voice of moderate Muslims and non-Muslims more difficult to be heard. In this context, we have seen problems in the controversy of M Moorthy and Article 121(1A) becoming more intractable."

The death of Moorthy, a former army commando, sparked a dispute and led to debate on whether or not to amend Article 121 (1A) of the constitution.

Lim also noted that the "non-Muslims are facing a crisis of identity in nation-building".

He observed that there is greater intolerance in the public place as a result of political parties trying to out-Islamise each other.

"Many things that happened in the past would have been treated differently, but suddenly take on an uglier dimension (now), like the recent cartoons controversy. But of course we should make a distinction between the Danish ones and the Non Sequitur one (comic strip published by New Straits Times )," he added.

Opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat vice-president Azmin Ali said political parties must act on their conviction and belief to garner votes.

"At the end of the day, the people will judge us and decide whether we are part of a hypocrisy or whether we are genuine leaders who are concerned with people's lives," he said.

"Islam is the official religion but we don't want any political party to use it to promote their political ideology, whether it is Umno, PAS or PKR."