AT the aptly named Chempaka roundabout in Kota Baru, two posters tell of the battle over the legacy of Kelantan’s most iconic leader, the late Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat.

The battle over who has truly inherited that legacy and continuing the former PAS spiritual leader’s struggle has become a feature in GE14 and will impact on whether PAS can keep control of the state.

The first poster is that of Nik Aziz’s eldest son Nik Omar, who is running for the Chempaka state seat under the Pakatan Harapan (PH) banner.

The 54-year-old religious teacher is taking on PAS candidate Fathan Mahmood and Mohamad Fareez Noor (Barisan Nasional) for the seat his father had represented for seven terms.

Below this is a poster with pictures of Nik Aziz praying and one of him together with caretaker PAS menteri besar Ahmad Yaakob. The PAS poster also features party president Abdul Hadi Awang.

The message of the lower poster is clear – although Nik Omar may be Nik Aziz’s son, PAS is claiming that the party is the one that is continuing his father’s legacy and struggle.

Nik Omar’s candidacy has not just caused waves in Chempaka. He is being rolled out to all seats in Kelantan and even outside the state to get PAS supporters to vote PH.

“We are hoping to gain mileage from him. He is going to go into all the PAS strongholds. Places where PAS won 70% of the popular votes,” said Kelantan Amanah chief Wan Abdul Rahim Wan Abdullah.

Nik Omar’s voice, his eloquence and humility are said to resemble his father’s, said Wan Rahim, who worked with Nik Aziz ever since the 70s.

After Nik Omar returns from campaigning in Shah Alam and Putrajaya, he is expected to campaign in all of Kelantan’s 45 state and 14 parliamentary seats.

The hope is that Nik Omar can persuade enough PAS supporters to switch their votes to PH, said Wan Rahim.

By combining these votes with those from fence-sitters and Umno supporters angry over economic issues, PH hopes to get enough support to win in three-cornered contests.

In Kg Sabak Kemerut in Chempaka, food stall owner Saifuddin Hamzah said Nik Omar has changed the discourse of the elections in his village.

“Youths had been talking about PAS and BN, PAS and BN. Now with Nik Omar, they are talking about PH,” said the 44-year-old.

Another villager, Hashim Muhammad, said Nik Omar’s ideas on religion and political Islam are similar to his father’s.

“Nik Aziz believed in forming coalitions and bringing people together even if their views were different,” said Hashim, a PAS activist of 37 years who later joined Amanah.

“This is something the current PAS leadership has abandoned. But it’s something Nik Omar believes in.”

PAS supporters, such as Rosli Yusof in Chempaka, however, are not so easily taken in.

“The people in Chempaka will choose the party over the individual. Nik Omar is not continuing his father’s struggle. He is only using his father’s name. It is we in PAS who are the ones continuing Tok Guru’s struggle.”

But Rosli admits other PAS supporters could be taken in.

“We can’t say that Nik Omar will not influence anyone. But we think out of 100 PAS supporters, he may only convince 20.” – May 4, 2018.