PETALING JAYA, MALAYSIA - The divorce-link oath that all PAS elected representatives in Selangor are made to take shows the party's utter disdain towards women in general.

Puteri Umno head Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin said she was disgusted with the move and wondered how the women in the party could take it without protest.

This, said Rosnah, was by far the worst move ever taken by PAS and proved just how far the party had strayed from Islamic teaching.

'How crass can some of these leaders be to allow politics to govern their marriages, which is the most important institution in Islam?

'Is this a party that claims to be fighting to uphold Islam?

'I believe this is another form of abuse of the religion,' she said, adding that the move should be condemned by all right-thinking people.

Under the move, PAS respresentatives in Selangor are made to take an oath to divorce their wives with talak tiga should they decide to jump party.

Talak tiga is the worst for Muslim women as it precludes any chance of reconciliation, unless they remarry and their new husbands then divorce them.

In Johor Baru, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said the oath was absurd and laughable.

He said PAS should not mix religion and politics as it could have disastrous consequences.

'It is totally laughable.

'People will not take them seriously,' he said.

Johor Women, Family, Health and Community Development Committee chairman Dr Robia Kosai said the move showed that PAS did not respect the institution of marriage.

'Marriage is sacred and it is a disgrace for PAS to impose such a ruling.'

'It is totally unbelievable as it is not fair to the wives,' she said, adding that marriage and politics were two separate entities.

In George Town, state MCA deputy chief Eng Hiap Boon also hit out at PAS, calling the ruling ridiculous and childish.

He said wives should not become victims of their husbands' political insecurities.