PAS vice president Mustafa Ali today said that concerns over how the party would rule should it take over the reins of the federal government are a moot point, considering that the party will need to win 73 parliamentary seats in order to replace Umno as the backbone of the governing coalition.

Mustafa said this in his concluding speech on the last day of the party's 49th Muktamar (general assembly) at its headquarters in Taman Melewar, Gombak.

It follows then that details of the party's vision of an Islamic state, or blueprint, cannot be made public because PAS does not have details in order for it to implement an Islamic state, he said.

As the party has never ruled the federal government, said Mustafa, the party cannot comply with people's demands that it releases a 'blueprint' of an Islamic state-style of government.

Moreover, PAS will need to consider the needs of other parties within the Barisan Alternatif, before it could even reveal any new form of government, he said

"PAS has to cooperate with its other partners in the BA coalition, (as) power will be shared with the other parties."

However, the general outlines of an Islamic state can be sufficiently determined by referring to the party's manifesto, he said.

PAS has drawn much flak since June when a the Straits Times of Singapore revealed that the party had completed a 'blueprint' on the Islamic state with its contents said to be unconstitutional.

However, PAS politicians have insisted that are no plans to challenge the principles of democracy as laid out under the Federal Constitution, and there is no such thing as a detailed blueprint on an Islamic state, only a general memorandum

Gambling and sale of alcohol

Mustafa also said that should PAS come into power, the party does not plan to shelve the governing principles of the existing federal authorities, unless such principles are clearly negative and needs improvement.

"For example, legislation that allow gambling and alcohol to be sold by and to Muslims will be abolished," he said.

"For those principles that are positive and good, we will maintain them and adopt them as our own principles of government. For those principles that are good but needs to be improved, we will modify according to need."

Mustafa said the experiences of PAS in Kelantan and Terengganu will serve as models for the administration of state governments elsewhere, should the party obtain majorities in other states.

PAS currently holds 26 parliamentary seats. However, PAS leaders have on numerous occasions expressed confidence in capturing more state and national seats.

Unemployed graduates

Meanwhile, in addressing the recent budget, PAS supreme council member Mohamad Sabu said the prime minister's speech failed to consider some big issues plaguing the economy, including high unemployment figures.

Instead of helping the 80,000 unemployed diploma and degree holders, the government is using them to further the ruling party's political interests, said Mohamad, who is also MP for Kuala Kedah, during his concluding speech at the assembly

Mat Sabu, as he is more familiarly known, said a number of these unemployed graduates - from across the country - were given allowances by the Prime Minister's Department to give speeches on the theme of 'unity'.

The bulk of them are from the peninsula's eastern coast, he added.

"This is a serious issue...as many of them can be influenced and recruited to work for Umno during the elections period," said Mohamad.

Instead of commissioning these young people for ulterior motives, the government should be more serious in alleviating the problem of unemployment among this sector of the population, he added.

Violence against women

Mat Sabu also spoke critically of organisations representing Muslims that are not as active and vocal as non-Muslim groups on the issue of violence against women.

"Malays do not seem to be as sensitive to the rising crime rate, the increasing incidences of rape, and the abuse of (domestic) workers," he said.

Furthermore, Muslim groups were quiet about abuses committed against women, even when such abuses were clearly against Islam. Instead, much of the protests seem to come from non-Malay NGOs and other organisations.

"In public as well as in this Muktamar itself, nobody seemed to have raised the issue of (Muslim) domestic workers being forced to cook pork (for their employers), pay 'protection money' to police and immigration officers, and endure physical abuse."

The abuse of domestic workers has also become critical, to the extent that their conditions nearing the state of slavery, he added.

"Muslim groups should be at the forefront of the movement against such crimes, if we claim to be activists of the Muslim community and Islam."