The Kelantan and Terengganu PAS governments should reconsider the tudung issue because it could be detrimental to the electoral chance of the PAS in the upcoming Sanggang by-election, said an opposition leader today.

DAP chairman Lim Kit Siang urged PAS to respect women's rights as well as the sensitivities of non-Muslim Malaysians.

"The statement by a Kelantan state government exco that non-Muslim employers in the state would be held responsible if their Muslim female workers do not wear tudung while at work, and that the authorities might not renew their licences, is insensitive to the rights and interests of non-Muslim Malaysians who do not want to be involved in issues strictly affecting Muslims," he told malaysiakini.

He urged that the tudung issue should be resolved without any delay as it is being exploited by the MCA in the Sanggang by-election. PAS candidate Hishamuddin Yahaya is facing Barisan Nasional's Redzwan Harun in the battle for the crucial non-Malay votes in the poll on April 1.

Meanwhile, other members of the Barisan Alternatif have also spoken out against the tudung ruling. PRM president Dr. Syed Husin Ali, KeADILan president Dr. Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and DAP vice president Ahmad Nor have said that the wearing of tudung is a personal choice and it was not proper to use force.

The Kelantan state government today said that female non-Muslim students at state-controlled schools must abide by its ruling to wear the tudung (head scarves) but this does not apply to federal government schools.

Head of Information, Propagation, Youth and Women Affairs Mohamed Daud also confirmed that one of the conditions for the business sector to apply for a premise licence in Kelantan is that their female Muslim workers should wear the tudung .

He told malaysiakini that if the employees breach the regulation too often, then the licence of the employer may not be renewed by the authorities.

The Star today quoted Mohamed as saying that employers have been told to advise their Muslim female workers to conceal their aurat (parts of the body other than the face and hands) and non-Muslim female workers to dress modestly.