NIK Omar Nik Abdul Aziz, the eldest son of the late Kelantan menteri besar Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat is keeping out of politics, for now, although he is being courted aggressively by Amanah, the PAS splinter party.

Nik Omar has chosen to respect his mother, Tuan Sabariah Tuan Ishak’s wish for him not to join Amanah, as it could break up the family.

It is no secret that PAS leaders, including his younger brother Nik Mohamad Abduh, often attack Amanah, which was formed in 2015. 

Amanah is led by former PAS leaders from the more progressive faction, such as Mohamad Sabu, Husam Musa and Salahuddin Ayub, who are widely seen as protégés of the former Kelantan menteri besar and spiritual leader Nik Aziz. 

So instead of causing friction in the family, Nik Omar concentrates on running Madrasah Darul Anuar in Pulau Melaka. The school, set up by Nik Aziz, is beside their family home in Kota Baru.

Courting Nik Omar

For starters, compared with his brothers, Nik Omar is far less controversial. 

While Nik Abduh is a PAS central committee member and also the Pasir Mas MP, the other brothers are Nik Rahim, an activist with Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia, and Nik Adli, a former Internal Security Act (ISA) detainee.

Sources in Amanah said the 54-year-old Nik Omar could be the man they need to draw in the votes, and they are privately pushing him for the Kelantan menteri besar’s post – a job his father held from 1990 to 2013.

“Nik Omar is very keen but due to family pressure, it is tough for him,” said his close friend Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa.

Amanah vice-president Husam has been promoting Nik Omar since November 2016.

He said Amanah would even let PAS enjoy a “free win” if the Islamist party fielded Nik Omar in Nik Aziz’s old state seat, Chempaka. Amanah wants Nik Omar to represent the people like his father.

After the Kelantan palace withdrew Husam’s title last month – a move signalling the sultan’s displeasure with the opposition leader – talks of Nik Omar’s potential candidacy as PH’s menteri besar intensified.

But Mujahid, who is also an Amanah vice-president, tried to play down the party’s plan for Nik Omar.

“He is an ulama (cleric) who doesn’t like to get into political situations that are tense,” the Parit Buntar MP said.

Mujahid, who heads Penang Amanah, has known Nik Omar for decades. They lived together for five years when studying at the Al-Azhar University in Egypt more than 30 years ago.

“Nik Omar is my senior by one year. But we were both sons of PAS leaders. So, we were very close,” said the youngest son of the late Yusof Rawa, PAS’ first spiritual leader.

State seat for Nik Omar?

Amanah wants to field Nik Omar in the Kijang state seat and the PAS parliamentary stronghold of Pengkalan Chepa, Kelantan Amanah committee member Mohamad Zainal Abidin Hussein said.

He is confident Nik Omar will come around to Amanah’s view on why he has to sign up and carry on his father’s legacy.

Zainal said an audio recording of Nik Abduh allegedly making plans to work with traditional political rival Umno and the offer of cash to the Islamist party by the lynchpin BN party is a game-changer.

Nik Abduh has denied that he was the person in the recording, which has gone viral.

“But the damage is done. There are members of the Nik Aziz family already saying that Nik Abduh will lose whichever seat he contests in,” Zainal said. – March 13, 2018.