Umno vice-president Mohd Ali Rustam has described PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz Abdul Nik Mat's move to defend his allegation that Barisan Nasional (BN) used money to secure victory in the last general election as a tactic to cover up his weaknesses, Bernama reported yesterday.

Mohd Ali, Umno's newly minted veep , said the Kelantan menteri besar had to make the statement to shift PAS supporters' attention from its failure to maintain the Islamic party's excellent record in the East Coast state.

Nik Aziz was also slammed by Umno Youth vice chief Khairy Jamaluddin who said that he planned to lodge a police report if an apology was not forthcoming for the statement. However the veteran politician was unfazed by the threat.

The Kelantan head's failing health was also the target of Mohd Ali's criticisms. The Melaka chief minister said that it affected Nik Aziz's ability to administer the state and that he had to raise any issue to maintain people's confidence in his leadership.

Leadership questioned

"What he did was merely a political gimmick. Under his leadership, PAS almost lost in Kelantan in the last general election and his capability as head of the government was being questioned," Mohd Ali told reporters after attending a thanksgiving feast in Kuala Berang, Terengganu yesterday.

The allegations that BN had unlawfully used money in the 2004 general election first surfaced when Nik Aziz made the claim during an interview published in the New Sunday Times recently.

Bernama added that Election Commission(EC) Chairperson Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman had questioned PAS' failure to file a High Court petition within 21 days of the general election results if it was true that it had proof of the illegal activity.

PAS has since called the EC chief a liar and said it had in fact filed 23 petitions during the stipulated time-frame.