PAS has called into question the vocal opposition of MCA and Gerakan to the proposed enforcement of a ban on entertainment outlets during the month of Ramadan.

The Islamic party labelled them "hypocrites" for supporting the law in the first place.

"As is usual, the MCA and Gerakan are operating under the thumb of Umno... this shows their extremely hypocritical behaviour, because they were the ones who supported the enactment when it was originally tabled.

"Now, they try to became heroes, purportedly trying to defend the rights of non-Muslims," PAS information chief Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said in a statement to the media today.

The Entertainment and Entertainment Premises Enactment was passed 14 years ago, in 1997, when Kedah was under the then Umno-dominated BN state administration.

'Yes, BN government passed law'

The Kedah MCA, in its statement, admitted that the enactment was indeed passed by the BN-led government, but that the law was never enforced.

"I would like to stress that the BN state government in Kedah of that time had never implemented these policies that affect non-Muslims.

"The BN state government had confidence that non-Muslims will have mutual respect for the Muslim way of life," read the statement by the Chinese-based party's state chief Chong Itt Chew.

The MCA went on to accuse PAS of trying to impose Islamic laws on non-Muslims and criticised what it hinted as the "shadow play" of the DAP as it tried to reassure non-Muslims, while failing to stop the hegemony of PAS.

The Kedah government will continue with its proposal to enforce the law, after meeting with entertainment outlet operators, it agreed to allow them to operate with non-Muslim customers and to prohibiting Muslims from the premises during the fasting month.