The Sarawak DAP head today dismissed PAS as "not relevant" to Sarawak and said the party had no relations whatsoever with the Islam-based party at state levels.

State party chief DAP chief Richard Wong Ho Leng told malaysiakini that Sarawak DAP had nothing to do with PAS or the Islamic state issue as it had distanced itself from the Barisan Alternatif last year.

"We have made this issue very, very clear - as clear as night follows day,"said Wong, when contacted in Kuching. "We (PAS and Sarawak DAP) have no relations at all. We have no contact. I have not contacted them and they have not contacted us. I do not even know who they are," said Wong.

Wong was asked to comment on whether the Islamic state issue would be a problem for DAP in its campaign for the upcoming Sarawak state elections on Sept 27.

In December last year, the Sarawak DAP withdrew from the BA over a number of reasons including what it said was a concerted effort by Barisan Nasional to run down DAP by linking it to PAS' stand on establishing an Islamic state.

The party also cited Keadilan's 'betrayal' when one of its members resigned from the party and took part in the last elections as an independent in Bandar Kuching when BA had already decided to field a DAP candidate.

DAP claimed that this was done will the "full blessing of Keadilan leaders in Sarawak" and that the latter's leadership had also "campaigned against DAP".

The party also claimed that Keadilan Sarawak had tried to lure DAP's state and branch leaders.

In the peninsula, the DAP had recently threatened to pull out from the BA after PAS' top leadership insisted it would set up an Islamic state if the party came to power.

Meetings between the two have reached a dead-lock and they are expected to meet for a final time next week.

'Understanding', not pact

Wong reiterated that the opposition does not have a pact to resolve the problem of overlapping interests, especially in Repok, Jepak, Padungan and Tanjung Batu, in Sarawak for the forthcoming elections.

"What we have is an understanding, not a pact. With this understanding we hope to resolve whatever problems we have come Sept 18 (nomination day)," said Wong.

Wong, however, was tight-lipped on the progress of the 'understanding'. "I can only tell you that we have met and we are meeting. Whether successful or not, I am unable to say to you," he said.

Keadilan president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail had said during her visit to Sarawak last week that the opposition would definitely have a 'pact' to avoid three-cornered fights in certain constituencies.

Sarawak Keadilan chief Habsah Harun told malaysiakini recently that the parties' national leaders would be meeting to resolve the matter but DAP national leaders, when contacted, said they knew nothing about such meetings.

"Only the state leaders are meeting," said Wong, who is also DAP national vice-chairperson.

When asked about the DAP list of candidates, Wong said that it will only be unveiled on nomination day.

"This is DAP's normal practice. We have abided by this all this while. We keep telling the BA to follow this practice but Keadilan had failed to do so," he said.