PAS' Shah Alam MP Khalid Abdul Samad is lamenting that well-known fashion model and actress Amber Chia is being used to discredit him in a bid to oust him in the coming party elections that will be held in June.

This is after he appeared alongside several VIP, guests including Chia and Ning Baizura, at a home decoration expo last Thursday.

Khalid said the group photograph was cropped, leaving him only with Chia, and this was then circulated on social media to question if the conservative party's MP had gone into modelling.

Amber wore a pink dress which extended above her knees while Khalid was clad in a suit.

"Even though they (critics) think that I am talented to be a model, I must explain that I am only carrying out my duty as MP to officiate the expo.

"I was not alone with Amber, there were many other people on stage," Khalid said in a blog posting last night.

The attack comes amid a clash between conservatives and progressives in PAS, with Khalid being among the more vocal leaders in the progressive group.

'Perpetrated by those wanting to oust me'

"I understand this attempt to discredit me is perpetrated by those who want to oust me at June's muktamar.

"According to them, PAS cannot step out of mosques, surau or any Islamic environment.

"Perhaps they will faint if they see me attend a Chinese New Year event attended by people of all races in various attires," said Khalid ( right ), who is also a PAS central committee member.

He took a swipe at his conservative opponents, saying that their "narrow minds" may become confused if they see Chinese youths in short pants and sleeveless shirts while Muslim women wear headscarves and are fully clad.

"For these people, Islam is only in a controlled environment, where people are clad in robes and serban.

"It is as if multi-religious and multi-racial society does not exist and even if it does, it shouldn't be a place for PAS," he said.

Khalid said PAS cannot be viewed as anti-development and anti-business, which was why he had agreed to officiate the expo meant to spur economic activity.

"It would be another matter if it was a liquor or lingerie expo," he said.

Khalid added that PAS, by attending non-Muslim events, could also reach out to the non-Muslim community.