Islamic opposition party PAS has sought to put a face of modernity to its image by setting up office in a corporate-style building in the heart of Kuala Lumpur.

The spanking new six-storey headquarters, which once served as the office of a RHB Bank branch, was undergoing its final stages of renovation when malaysiakini paid a visit earlier last week.

The new headquarters is a far cry from the party's old office in Gombak's Taman Melewar - a complex of buildings which include a hall that can accommodate 1,000 people.

The new building has a conference room with a capacity of no more than 250 people. For bigger meetings, the party will have to look elsewhere.

But what the new building lacks, it makes up with location - it is situated right in the city centre and only a few blocks away from arch-rival Umno's 42-storey tower block.

The president's office on the fourth floor has a sweeping view of the city including the Umno headquarters.

Party leaders took pains to hire an interior designer, who ensured that all the different floors are colour coordinated - for example, the PAS Youth's office has dark blue carpeting, while the Muslimat (the women's wing) spots a dash of purple and deep maroon.

Even the chairs and blinds are specially designed.

The new headquarters was officially opened by party spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat this afternoon.

What's the cost?

Asked about the cost of the building, PAS treasurer Dr Hatta Ramli was a little evasive. "Including the renovations, it would range between seven or eight million ringgit."

Hatta, who gave malaysiakini a sneak preview of the building, revealed that there were concerns regarding the new headquarters being situated too near the Lorong Haji Taib red-light district, long known to be a hang-out of transvestites.

But it was decided that PAS members can do out-reach work in the area. "We can help clean up the area," said Hatta.

Before the party opted for the current building as its new headquarters, Hatta said they had inspected a number of buildings including one in Bangsar Utama.

"In the Bangsar Utama building, we found printouts of news stories on PAS, including photos of Husam Musa (PAS vice-president)," he said.

It turned out to be online news portal Malaysiakini.com's old office.

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