PAS cannot uphold the sanctity of Islam and the rights of Muslims because it is a weak party in Pakatan rakyat, Umno senator Ezam Mohd Nor says.

NONE Unlike PAS, Umno can openly declare itself as the main party in Barisan Nasional (BN) and

claim both the posts of prime minister and deputy prime minister, the former PKR Youth chief said at a Tibai ceramah in Gombak last night.

But PAS cannot even take such a dominant stand in the opposition pact, Ezam ( above ) said, claiming that DAP leader Lim Kit Siang would be deputy prime minister if Pakatan ever took Putrajaya.

"Why can Ronnie Liu insult Islam? It is because PAS is weak," the former Anwar ally roared to applause from the crowd of about 2,500.

Ezam was likely referring to Selangor exco member Ronnie Liu's directive to the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) last year to retract its licensing guideline banning Muslims from working in entertainment establishments serving alcohol, which raised the ire of several Muslim leaders.

"Instead, we have the first Muslim leader who would defend the safety of Israel," he said, referring to Anwar's remarks in an interview with the Wall Street Journal in January.

Azmin bashed in own constituency

Tibai, which stands for Tolak Individu Bernama Anwar Ibrahim (Reject the Individual Named Anwar Ibrahim) was formed last month by former members of PKR to campaign against Anwar.

The ceramah last night was billed as a Sumpah Keramat (Sacred Oath) in the vein of the then-Parti Keadilan Nasional's crusade in support of Anwar's 1998 Reformasi movement.

However, the event also turned out to be a platform for the leaders to rail against PKR deputy president and Gombak MP Azmin Ali.

NONE Tibai spiritual leader Zahid Md Arip ( at the microphone ) ripped into Azmin for disrespecting his mother, saying: "He did not visit his mother for 11 months. What kind of a human being is he?

"I hope Gombak is no longer Azmin's kubu (fortress), but PKR's kubur (grave)," Zahid said in Malay.

Azmin, who is also Bukit Antarabangsa assemblyperson, was also roundly criticised over the allegation of a recent " toilet tryst " sex affair.

"Let's give him the benefit of the doubt - maybe the woman in the video was just Azmin's personal ‘doctor' and Azmin was receiving ‘special treatment' in the toilet," Zahid said sarcastically, drawing laughter from the crowd.

However, he is treated as "sacred" within PKR, as Anwar does not tolerate criticism against Azmin, he said.

"Anwar would be angrier if someone criticised Azmin, compared to criticising his wife, Dr Wan Azizah," Zahid added.