A PAS leader today denied that the party's closed-door meeting held last weekend was to discuss the possibility of dwindling Malay Malaysian or Muslim support following the opposition's massive loss in the recent Indera Kayangan by-election.

On the contrary, the party's youth chief Mahfuz Omar observed that Barisan Nasional's victory was "meaningless" as the vote for Keadilan was only reduced by 164 votes from its previous showing.

Keadilan's candidate Khoo Yang Chong obtained 1,687 while his predecessor in the 1999 general elections, Ko Chu Liang, obtained 1,851 votes.

Mahfuz congratulated the opposition for securing an increase in votes in Chinese-predominant areas in the state capital Kangar.

"I can't understand why DAP national chairperson Lim Kit Siang kept refuting this increase," he told reporters outside the Philippines Embassy in Kuala Lumpur today.

Mahfuz had earlier submitted a memorandum to the embassy to protest the presence of US army troops in southern Philippines.

Lim has been vocal in his doubts about Keadilan's claim that it had been able to increase its Chinese Malaysian vote even without DAP's help.

In the Jan 19 by-election, MCA's Oui Ah Lan beat Khoo by a thumping majority of 2,592. The seat fell vacant following the death of BN state assembly representative Khor Liang Tee who garnered 1,974 votes in 1999.

Female candidates

It is learnt that PAS held a one-day seminar last weekend in Kota Bharu to discuss the performance of its 100-odd state assembly representatives and 27 members of parliament.

The meeting, which included evaluation of PAS representatives, also discussed new strategies to counter the BN election machinery in the coming general elections, scheduled for 2004 or earlier.

For a start, the party's Council of Clerics has decided to field female candidates. The last female candidate from the party was Salmiah Husin, who contested in Jitra (Padang Terap) in 1969.

The move to put women in the forefront, which included strengthening the women's wing, is to counter Puteri Umno's 'aggressive' campaigning tactics.

However, PAS Chinese affairs adviser Annuar Tan, told malaysiakini that the party also met to discuss its role following the Indera Kayangan by-election.

Another item on the agenda was to review the party's position following the Sept 11 terrorist attacks on the United States and BN's anti-Islamic-extremist propaganda in the media aimed at discrediting the party.