NIK Omar Nik Abdul Aziz, the son of a revered PAS leader, has made splinter party Amanah and opposition pact Pakatan Harapan “halal” for many Malay-Muslims, and may provide the needed boost of support from the community for PH to take over Putrajaya, said an analyst.

The eldest son of the late PAS spiritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat angered many party members and supporters when he pulled a last-minute surprise on Saturday by filing his nomination to contest the Chempaka state seat in Kelantan under Amanah.

He was immediately sacked from PAS, and has been the target of attacks by its leaders and cybertroopers.

Political analyst Dr Mazlan Ali said Nik Omar’s move “stamped a ‘halal’ logo” on PH and Amanah, the party formed after a bitter feud between PAS’ hard-line leaders and those who wanted to continue political cooperation with opposition allies.

Mazlan, who lectures at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, said Nik Omar could complement PH chairman Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s push to stir up a wave of Malay support for the opposition bloc.

“If Dr Mahathir is stirring up a wave of support among rural Malays who have been supporting Umno all this while, then Nik Omar can do the same among voters who have been supporting PAS.

“This is why we see that PAS leaders and cybertroopers are so angry.”

Amanah leaders who left PAS have been branded as traitors, and Nik Omar’s move challenges the notion that only PAS can represent Islam.

“They (Malay-Muslims) see that there is nothing wrong in supporting PH now,” said Mazlan.

Nik Omar, in an interview posted on Facebook, said he had struggled for some time over his decision and kept quiet about his plans to contest under Amanah because of the “heavy burden” he carries as Nik Aziz’s eldest son. – April 30, 2018.