A Philippine company's plan to open up a beer brewery plant in Johor has drawn flak from PAS, which said the move would run foul of the government's claim that Malaysia is an Islamic state.

In a memorandum submitted to Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Aziz ( photo ) today, Johor PAS commissioner Dr Sanusi Daeng Mariok said the government must clear the air on this matter.

He said PAS strongly objected San Miguel Corporation's plan as the "future of the rakyat especially the youth is far more important than the profit to be gained from the liquor industry".

However, he added that in Islam, the manufacturing of liquors are permitted in order to cater for the need of non-Muslims.

"But isn't it sufficient with liquor companies like Guinness Anchor Sdn Bhd and Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia?" he asked.

Legal action

The PAS leader also urged the Johor government to clarify the matter and take legal action against business daily, The Edge, which broke the news, if the information was inaccurate.

The memorandum was handed to Nazri by Johor PAS Youth chief Mazlan Alima during a meeting at the Parliament building. Also present was PAS Youth chief and Kubang Kerian MP Salahuddin Ayub.

Speaking to reporters after the 20-minute meeting, Mazlan said the minister had personally disagreed with the proposal.

According to him, Nazri has also promised to forward the memorandum at the next cabinet meeting.

Meanwhile, Salahuddin said the state government has not given an official approval but indicated that it would most likely do so.

"Mazlan submitted a memorandum to Johor Menteri Besar's (Abdul Ghani Othman) office three days ago and according to sources there, the factory will be built in three months," he added.

ACA probe

In an unrelated development, PAS urged the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) to expedite its probe into a bribery allegation during the March 21 general election.

The agency had arrested two individuals for allegedly attempting to bribe Sanip Itnin, the PAS candidate for the Pasir Raja state seat. However, Sanip lost in the polls.

The case was later transferred to the ACA headquarters in Putrajaya.

In a separate memorandum to Nazri, Salahuddin said the Youth wing was disappointed that no prosecution has been made after six months.

He urged the ACA to release a statement pertaining to the status of the case.