PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang is "irresponsible" to speak of political clout according to the religious faiths of sitting MPs, DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang says.

In a plural society like Malaysia, Lim said, political leaders should avoid both Islamophobia and bigotry against non-Muslims.

"Hadi’s wily illogic is most astounding and Hadi’s perverted electoral exposition is the height of political irresponsibility," Lim said in a statement.

"This is because there must be no Islamophobia or non-Islamophobia if Malaysia is to succeed as a nation to achieve her full potential, benefiting from the diversity and confluence of the world’s great religions, cultures and civilisations in Malaysia," he said.

In a special president's address in Kedah, Hadi, the MP for Marang, said that of the 89 seats held by the Opposition, only 39 are held by Muslim MPs.

Hadi said it was PAS' obligation to ensure Muslim political clout and cooperation with PKR and DAP in the last general election, but it was not achieved, even though the pact denied BN the popular vote.

He also said that if the Opposition could woo 30 non-Muslim MPs from BN to vote against Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak in a vote of no-confidence in Parliament, non-Muslims would then control the House.

Lim said that is a false notion because there has yet to be any move to convince 30 non-Muslim BN MPs to vote against Najib.

Even if there was a defection among 30 BN non-Muslim MPs, a no-confidence vote against Najib would still be defeated, the Gelang Patah MP said.

"Hadi as PAS president would have directed the 21 PAS MPs (before the establishment of Parti Amanah) to vote in support of Najib, to use Hadi’s own words, 'to defend Islam and to ensure Muslims are in the position of power'," Lim said.

"As the overwhelming majority of some 65 percent of the 222 MPs in Parliament are Muslims, only Hadi can explain why he is resorting to a subtle form of non-Islamophobia to create fear of non-Muslim elected representatives among Muslim voters," he said.

Hadi's statement came amid a stalemate in electoral pact negotiations between Pakatan Harapan, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) and PAS.

PAS refuses to work with Harapan members DAP and its splinter party Amanah, but is open to a deal with Bersatu.

PKR, on its part, insists on continuing to forge a pact with PAS to ensure straight fights against BN in the 14th general election.