Some PAS leaders are not keen on Umno's call for Malay unity discussions because they are not interested in helping Umno clear its mess, said a leader of the opposition party today.

Dr Hatta Ramli, who is PAS chief Fadzil Noor's political secretary, said that Umno is now desperate to regain Malay support because the party is heading for destruction.

"Its leader Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad is now left in the lurch, alone and gasping for breath within and outside the party," Hatta told malaysiakini today.

"There should not be any sympathy for him (Mahathir) because we know ultimately what he is doing is saving himself and his family," he added.

Yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said that Mahathir should go ahead and hold a meeting on Malay unity with Fadzil and Keadilan president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

He said the meeting would generally benefit the Malays as a whole as the basis of national unity has always been Malay unity.

Fadzil was also quoted by New Straits Times today as saying that PAS has agreed in principle to the proposed Malay unity talks and would not impose any pre-conditions.

Wan Azizah, on the other hand, yesterday said that Keadilan would prefer discussions on national unity and social justice instead of just focusing on Malay unity.

Old millennium issue

Hatta said that generally, PAS supporters are not happy with the proposed meeting as they do not see any advantage coming out of it.

He added that the issue of Malay unity is an issue of the old millennium and that the party would prefer a discussion on national unity.

"When Umno talk about Malay unity, what do they mean?" asked Hatta.

"There is disunity in the civil service, army, police and among the ulama (religious leaders), all of which may comprise mostly Malays, but this does not mean there is Malay unity or disunity," he added.

While Hatta said that this issue is advantageous to Umno, irrespective of whether PAS accepts or rejects the invitation to dialogue, he admitted that PAS should not be scared of the outcome as the party has a longer vision, which is to aspire towards national unity.

PAS to consult BA

Hatta stressed that PAS would meet with its Barisan Alternatif allies before deciding on its response to Umno's invitation.

He said that if Umno were sincere in forging Malay unity, it would have also invited PRM to attend the discussion as the party has a strong Malay base.

"Umno wants to show that after all the talk on national unity in BA, the opposition is still very much a Malay-based party. We are not buying it.

"We are aware of what this will do to our non-Malay supporters and friends. We treasure their friendship more than the desire to help a group of desperate people (Umno)," Hatta said.

He said the party will weigh the pros and cons of joining the discussion and whether it will benefit BA.

"We do not want to accept their (Umno) invitation blindly and be slaughtered," he added.

While he could not confirm whether Fadzil has agreed to the discussion, Hatta said, however, that there has been no formal communication between PAS and Umno to-date.

PAS leaders are expected to meet tomorrow to discuss the matter.

Setback to nation building

Meanwhile, DAP chief Lim Kit Siang said that such a development is "a precursor to greater racial polarisation and marks a major setback to the 43-year nation-building process, Vision 2020 and the Bangsa Malaysia concept".

"What would be the reaction if there is at present a 'Chinese Unity Movement' calling on the Malaysian Chinese to unite regardless of their political affiliations to protect Chinese interests?" queried Lim.

"Would such a campaign not be regarded as un-Malaysian, anti-national and a major blow to the 43-year nation-building process, Vision 2020 and Bangsa Malaysia concept?" he added.

Lim said that this need to discuss Malay unity came about after Barisan Nasional's loss in the recent Lunas by-election.

He added that it was unfortunate that the Lunas by-election result has been distorted to symbolise a challenge to the "social contract" among the Malays and non-Malays, including Article 153 of the Malaysian Constitution on Malay special rights.

"I dare say that the question of the abolition of Malay special rights had never crossed the mind of any Lunas voter who elected Saifuddin Nasution Ismail as the Lunas State Assembly representative on Nov 29 last year," said Lim.