THE late PAS spiritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat used to praise Dr Mahathir Mohamad as a smart leader despite the two being political enemies, his eldest son Nik Omar said in Putrajaya last night.

The only reason his father and Dr Mahathir could not get along was only because the differences in the opinion, Nik Omar said.

“He would praise Tun (Dr Mahathir) first. He said Tun has the wisdom and he is a great man. He is also well respected throughout Asia. He could guide the nation to greater heights but it’s just that he did not use it for the purpose of Islam,” he said.

Nik Aziz took the stage in Putrajaya, his first ever appearance in the Klang Valley after his visit to Shah Alam in Selangor earlier yesterday.

He urged the 5,000-strong crowd to pick Pakatan Harapan.

“This is not about picking a religion. This is about picking the team that you want to lead the country. Everyone has one vote.”

He also said he was not there to preach about Islam.

“Pakatan Harapan has no plans to move backwards. We want to do things for the benefit of Malaysians,” he said.

Dr Mahathir, who took stage around 11.30pm, talked briefly about Nik Omar.

“We listened earlier to Nik Omar Nik Abdul Aziz talking about why he supports Pakatan Harapan.

“Many people cannot imagine how he could support Pakatan Harapan,” said the chairman of the opposition coalition comprising of PKR, Bersatu, DAP and Amanah.

Nik Omar is PH candidate for Chempaka state seat in Kelantan. Nik Aziz held the seat and was the Kelantan menteri besar until his death in 2015.

Nik Omar’s brother Nik Mohamad Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz, meanwhile, is contesting the Bachok parliamentary seat under the PAS ticket. – May 4, 2018.