Contrary to the organisers' denials, Bersatu chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad today said he viewed PAS' Act 355 rally yesterday as being politically-motivated.

Mahathir said while the crowd had prayed for proposed amendments to the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act (Act 355) to be passed in Parliament, the organisers' real intentions are still questionable.

"In Islam your intention is very important. If the intention (of the rally) was to win in the 14th general elections, that is wrong.

"If the intention was to uphold Islam, that is good.

“But it looks like the intention was political, so it becomes wrong," he told reporters during a press conference after attending PKR Bandar Tun Razak's Chinese New Year function at Flat Seri Johor in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur.

The PAS-led rally at Padang Merbok yesterday was organised to garner support for PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang's Private Member's Bill to amend Act 355.

The motion on the bill is expected to be debated in the Dewan Rakyat at the upcoming March sitting.

Critics have described the rally as a platform to unite PAS and Umno leaders ahead of GE14, following several leaders from the ruling party showing support for the event yesterday.

Top PAS leaders had maintained that it would not pursue political cooperation with Umno, saying it remains open to work with any party that supports its agenda to uphold Islam.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Jamil Khir Baharom, his deputy Ashraff Wajdi Dusuki and former minister Syed Hamid Albar were among Umno leaders who yesterday addressed the crowd of some 55,000 people, based on Malaysiakini's estimation.

Commenting further, Mahathir said presence of the Umno leaders at the very least indicated their personal support for PAS' amendments to Act 355.

"So did they (Umno leaders) take into consideration the views of Malaysians, including Muslims, who believes that the move to segregate Muslim and non-Muslims and impose harsher punishments for Muslim as unjust?" he questioned.

A counter-rally organised by Bebas - a freedom of religion movement - saw some 200 people, including former minister Zaid Ibrahim arguing the case for Muslims and others who opposed the amendments.

'Still one month for PAS'

Mahathir, meanwhile, said that Bersatu will continue to give PAS until the end of this month to make a final decision on whether to join the grand anti-BN opposition coalition for GE14.

"Even if PAS already said they don't want to think about it, we (Bersatu) will still give them one month.

"Maybe at the end of the month they will change their minds...Causing disunity among Muslims is forbidden in the religion," he said when asked about PAS' insistence it would not work with any party that is in cooperation with DAP and Amanah.

Even so, Mahathir had last week said he would not grovel at PAS' feet to seek cooperation.