Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi sought Allah's assistance in the March 21 vote at a rally of 15,000 supporters in Malacca today.

"I pray to Allah, asking him to ensure the Barisan Nasional wins with a big majority," Abdullah said in the historic southern port city of Malacca.

The ruling BN coalition, led by Abdullah's Umno, is pitted against the fundamentalist Islamic Party PAS, which made strong gains in the last poll five years ago.

PAS has also invoked God's aid, with spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat promising that the party's supporters will go to heaven while other voters will go to hell.

Angered by PAS claim

At a news conference later, Abdullah angrily refused to comment on the PAS claim.

He told reporters that at a meeting with religious scholars on Saturday night he reminded them that Malaysia was a multiracial country and they should understand the sensitivities of other races.

During the campaign Muslims "should not bring up issues related to the faith or issue religious edicts as it will only worsen the unity among Muslims", he said.

Umno also professes Islam and competes with PAS for the votes for the Malay Muslim majority, but PAS says the government is not Islamic enough, and it wants to create a theocratic state.

PAS tripled its parliamentary seats in the 1999 elections, took power in a second out of 13 states and aims to win control of at least one more state in the upcoming vote.

But Umno is counting on a change of leadership from Mahathir - who was once notoriously lampooned as an un-Islamic pig by a PAS newspaper - to turn the tide.

Abdullah, who took over when Mahathir retired last October, majored in Islamic studies at university and has a less confrontational style than his predecessor.

BN for all races

Amid clouds of balloons carrying the party logo and punching his fist in the air, Abdullah told the crowd in Malacca, which has a strong Chinese community: "The Barisan Nasional struggle is for all races.

"I believe all races will work for us and I'm confident the Barisan Nasional will secure a landslide victory. If you give us a big mandate I promise we will bring development and continue to ensure stability and peace in the country."

Umno held 72 seats in the last parliament, while PAS held 26. Any significant loss of support for Umno could see Abdullah challenged for the party leadership - and thus the premiership - at the party congress later in the year. - AFP