Wanita Umno chief Rafidah Aziz took a swipe at PAS today for "ignoring the interests of more than 40 per cent of non-Muslim Malaysians".

Bernama

quoted her as saying that PAS, in targeting Muslims as part of its main strategy, had ignored the interests of the non-Muslims.

She accused the party, Umno's arch rival, of pretending to be nice to non-Muslims and sweet-talking them into supporting the party which seeks to establish an Islamic theocracy.

"At the same time, they have sown the seeds of disunity among Muslims," said the international trade and industry minister at the ministry's Family Day event at the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia in Kepong, Kuala Lumpur.

Rafidah also said that PAS practised hypocrisy of the highest degree.

She urged both Muslims and non-Muslims Malaysians to reject PAS which "through its negative dogma had divided the citizens of this country".

She reminded all Malaysians that PAS was not a party that championed Islam.

She is among a number of Umno bigwigs, led by party president and Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his deputy Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who repeatedly blasted PAS during the opening and closing speeches at the just-concluded annual general assembly.

The criticisms were mainly on PAS' focus on Islamic teachings, which Umno claims is being misinterpreted to mislead Malaysians.