PAS Youth adopted a new look when its top leaders traded in the white robes usually on display during the party congress for Malay warrior wear.

At the muktamar in Kota Baru today, PAS Youth leaders were dressed to the nines in traditional Malay clothes, complete with the keris.

PAS Youth chief, Nik Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz, often seen with a kopiah (skullcap), donned a gold songket tangkat instead, to match his sampin and vest, which was trimmed with golden songket.

Like other top PAS leaders present today, the Pasir Mas MP also had a keris tucked into his samping.

Party deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, who officiated at the PAS Youth muktamar, too, kept with the theme and showed up in a blue baju melayu, complete with an elaborate silver songket tanjak and matching sampin and gold songket jacket.

PAS muktamar is often a sea of white robes and turbans.

"It's been a while since I've seen clothes like this. I didn't even dress like this for my wedding.

"This shows the goodness and beauty of our culture, maybe after this we'll wear the outfits of other races," he said.

The PAS number two also denied that the clothes represented a race-based struggle.

"PAS does not champion race without championing religion.

"We don't un-sheath our keris and kiss it or brandish it to anyone. We just use it to complete the outfit."

This is the first muktamar since key leaders split to form splinter party Amanah. It is also the first muktamar since the demise of Pakatan Rakyat last year.

PAS has since formed an alliance with minor party Parti Ikatan Bangsa Malaysia (Ikatan).

The muktamar comes just before the twin by-elections in Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar which PAS is contesting.

The central body muktamar will start tomorrow and end on June 4, the day before nomination day for the by-elections.

The party lost by a margin of less than one percent against BN in the 13th general election, when it was still allied with DAP and PKR.

Both constituencies are Malay majority seats, with about 30 percent Chinese voters.