PAS members of parliament are peeved at Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad for his criticisms yesterday that Terengganu's proposed hudud bill was "un-Islamic and unfair" and for labelling the Muslim-based party as "deviant".

Nasharuddin Mat Isa (PAS-Yan) said the premier ought to present his version of the bill instead of criticising the one proposed by the Terengganu state government.

Nasharuddin defended the bill saying that the draft was based on the Quran and Hadith and the state government consulted the ulama (religious scholars) on its interpretations.

"But the prime minister has called us deviants. That means we can now consider taking action against him," said the PAS secretary-general.

"His statement [yesterday] shows his true colours," he told malaysiakini .

A PAS law

Yesterday, Mahathir said the federal government will block, if it is within its powers, the implementation of the proposed Terengganu Syariah Criminal Enactment Bill, also known as the hudud bill.

The controversial bill has been lambasted by a number of NGOs for discriminating against women.

The premier said the bill proposed by PAS was "not Islamic law but the law of [Terengganu menteri besar] Abdul Hadi Awang's or PAS' law".

Mahathir said this when asked about the matter after opening the Umno Youth expo at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur.

The Umno president also criticised the opposition party for having deviated from Islamic teachings and not stressing on the religion's true teachings. He said the Islamic opposition party had even defiled God.

The move by PAS to implement the proposed hudud law, he added, is "an insult to Islam by formulating laws they claim to be Islamic laws, but there is no justice and fairness".

Mahathir also said those who formulate and pass the proposed hudud bill would face consequences in the hereafter.

The federal government had previously blocked the hudud bill proposed by the Kelantan state government, which is also controlled by PAS.

Show us yours

Hadi was not present in Parliament today but PAS Youth leader, Mahfuz Omar, said Mahathir was welcomed to present a draft of his version of hudud.

"If he has one, please let us see it since he has said that ours is un-Islamic," said the MP from Pokok Sena, Kedah.

Meanwhile, Abdul Rahman Yusof (Keadilan-Kemaman) was all praises for Hadi, saying that he was "open enough and willing to dialogue" with different groups regarding the bill before its implementation.

"This is the first time in history that a bill is open, and public views are sought before it is tabled in the state assembly or parliament," said Abdul Rahman, who is also Keadilan's supreme council member.

"This is contrary to what happens in the Dewan ... what happens here is unfair. The government often uses its power of the two-third majority to push a bill through," he said.