PAS today accused Umno Youth president Hishamuddin Hussein Onn of slander for saying that PAS' view of the Malays and the Malaysian future was "deeply divisive and harmful to national unity".

PAS president Fadzil Noor told malaysiakini that Umno Youth did not understand PAS views and instead preferred to tell lies and slander the party.

"It is Umno who goes around fanning racial sentiments by bringing up the issue of Malay special rights," said the opposition leader when contacted today.

Speaking at the National Unity Convention in Petaling Jaya last Friday, Hishamuddin had said, "I wish to leave the audience with one vital observation and that is the PAS view of the Malays and the Malaysian future is in fact deeply divisive and harmful to national unity".

"Under PAS' vision of an Islamic state, this country that we call Malaysia will have two communities - the believers and the non-believers," he added.

Hishammuddin, who is minister of youth and sports, said that PAS did not subscribe to the concept of Bangsa Malaysia .

"The party's 'imagined community' of unity of the Ummah (Muslim community) does not include the non-Muslims," said the Malay youth leader during a session of the convention entitled 'National Unity As Seen From The Eyes Of The Youths - Aspirations For A United Bangsa Malaysia Future'.

Hishammuddin said that Umno was the only party that has within its constitution a commitment to the creation of Bangsa Malaysia and the party's proven track record in managing race relations over the past 43 years "reveal a strong vein of pragmatism and responsibility".

"Whilst we are a party of the Malays we are also fully aware of our responsibility to the nation as a whole," he said.

Multi-racialism

Fadzil said today the Barisan Alternatif had already mooted the idea that of a Racial Unity Board to look into the matter of unity among the races.

"We have suggested this idea to the government but we have not received any response from them. Now who is not committed to the concept of Bangsa Malaysia ?," he asked.

"Hishammuddin should not go around spreading lies and slandering PAS without understanding our views as well as that of the BA," he reiterated.

BA had always reflected the concept of multi-racialism in their policies and activities as was evident in the coalition's manifesto, said Fadzil adding that BA's component parties' ideologies were not based on race.