“This is good. PAS agrees that the country comprises people of different races, faiths and culture,” he said when opening the Selangor Gerakan annual assembly here. “We welcome the move.”

Lau said the PAS decision, made at its recent general assembly, would help erase the perception that the party is hostile towards non-Muslims, as political rivals have often claimed.

PAS announced last week that its constitution had been amended, with its non-Muslim supporters section elevated as a party wing, with its members able to vote for their leaders but still restricted from holding central committee positions.

The party said associate membership was open to adherents of other religions. “They must practise either Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism, or any other religion in the world apart from Islam,” said PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan. “Those without a religion like atheists cannot take up the membership.”

Lau said Gerakan’s ties with PAS, its partner in Perikatan Nasional, were getting stronger, adding that Gerakan has learnt a lot through its alliance.

PAS and Gerakan were at loggerheads in July over the involvement of breweries in fundraising for Chinese-medium schools.

Lau then came to the defence of the vernacular schools’ fundraising system, while Gerakan deputy president Oh Tong Keong said the party would not hesitate to leave PN if its allies continued to display religious extremism and infringe on the rights of non-Muslims.