KOTA BARU, May 2 — For the past month, 53-year-old religious teacher Nik Omar Nik Abdul Aziz has been spending his nights mostly sitting on the prayer mat at home, seeking guidance and enlightenment from God on what he calls the biggest decision of his life.
The guidance he received was revealed on April 28, Nomination Day for Malaysia’s General Election.
Of all the surprises that were thrown up that day, Nik Omar’s decision to contest the Kelantan state legislative assembly seat of Chempaka under Party Amanah Negara — a component party of the Opposition Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition — drew the biggest gasp.
It also drew scorn.
The eldest son and second child of former PAS spiritual and influential leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat was still a member of the party when he broke ranks and stood as a candidate for its rival, Amanah.
Hours after filing his nomination papers, Nik Omar was sacked by the party’s leaders for violating its constitution, with some describing his actions as a “sin” and an insult to his father’s legacy.
But that was only the beginning of a political drama that captured the attention of a nation.
In his first media interview since he announced his candidacy, Nik Omar told TODAY yesterday that joining politics and Amanah was not a straightforward decision.
He spent time speaking to friends, some of whom were supporters or members of other political parties, to get their views on whether he should enter politics.
He also did his research on the various political parties, to have a better understanding of their visions and values. Still, he was in two minds.
“There were instances where I thought there was no need to be politically involved. And then there were times that I felt I should get into it. So I turned to God,” said Nik Omar, who was speaking at Amanah’s office in Kota Baru.
“And once you’ve decided, you have to go with it. There’s no turning back.”
For many, his candidacy was even more surprising considering that he had publicly stated recently that he would not contest the May 9 polls out of respect for his mother’s wishes that he stay out of politics.
Explaining the change of heart, Nik Omar said that it is time that he contributed to the country’s development and progress in areas such as education and the economy, given that he is already in his 50s.
There is also a need to improve governance in the country, he said, alluding to the corruption scandals that have afflicted the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.
He added: “Like citizens of any nation, I love my country. I want to see Malaysia progress.”
“Politics is in my blood," he said, explaining that he was exposed to it at a young age, when he frequently followed his father to rallies, and had a front-row seat when his dad governed Kelantan.
Dressed in a white robe and skullcap, he said that despite the exposure, he chose to stay out of politics as he wanted to focus on his profession as an educator.
He is also worried that the scrutiny and criticism that comes with the territory of being a politician would not be quite his cup of tea.
“But there comes a time when you have to make a decision. Such decisions are hard, but to help a country progress and build a government that’s more efficient and service oriented, you have to make sacrifices,” he said.
The election for Chempaka is a three-cornered fight: Nik Omar will be going up against incumbent Ahmad Fathan Mahmood of PAS and Mohamed Fareez Noor Amran of Umno.
But why turn his back on the party his father built, and defect to Amanah?
Nik Omar simply said he did not receive any requests from the party’s leaders to stand as their candidate.
“And PAS already has many quality candidates,” he added, declining to elaborate further.
A family divided
In abandoning PAS, Nik Omar has gone against the family grain.
The rest of his family has been fiercely loyal to PAS since his father blazed a path by joining the party in 1967 and eventually led its historic charge to seize Kelantan from BN in 1990.
Little wonder, then, that the harshest criticism he has received over his decision to join Amanah has come from his own family, which had no inkling that he planned to defect.
His younger brother, Nik Abduh, a member of PAS’ central executive committee who is contesting the state legislative assembly seat of Bachuk, was particularly acidic in his criticism.
In a Facebook post on Monday (April 30), Nik Abduh said that his “mother has to rest for a few days to nurse her broken heart”, and lamented that his elder brother had not yet met his mother.
“Mothers are the towers in our lives. Don’t talk about the father if the mother is not by his side,” said Nik Abduh. “Who are we without mothers? Just wasted semen tossed aside.”
He added that his mother had decided to exact revenge — by campaigning for the PAS candidate running in Chempaka.
Nik Abduh said his mother had initially only planned to help in his campaign for Bachuk, but since “there has been some disturbance from my own family member towards the PAS campaign in Chempaka, she felt it was only right she helped the party there also”.
Commenting on his brother’s remarks, Nik Omar refused to be drawn into trading barbs, and simply said: “As an elder, one should be loving. And those who are younger should be more respectful.”
Asked about his mother’s move to campaign for PAS and not him, Nik Omar simply said: “Islam teaches us to love and respect our parents. But the most important thing now is to have a good and efficient government in this country.”
Another brother, Nik Abdul Rahim — the fourth child in the family — said that while his family might have disagreed with Nik Omar’s actions, there is “no bad blood”.
PAS supporters are not so sanguine.
Many felt that his defection tarnished his father’s legacy.
Chempaka resident Norzaman Ismail, a 47-year-old craftsman, said that as a son, Nik Omar should have defended his father’s legacy, but instead “chose to turn his back on his father and the party”.
Retiree Mohd Zulkifli Hussain, 52, said that he would vote PAS.
“His father is rolling in the grave right now over what Nik Omar did,” he added.
PAS leaders, including secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan, described Nik Omar as a “nobody”, and said his candidacy would have no impact in Chempaka.
Speaking to TODAY, the party’s secretary in Kelantan, Che Abdullah Mat Nawi, said Nik Omar had “made a bad move” and that he is not “as influential as his father”.
A refrain heard often is that the son is just riding on his father’s coattails.
Not riding on his father’s legacy
About half an hour away from the capital city of Kota Baru, Chempaka is a sleepy constituency, with over 24,700 residents, of whom 99 per cent are Malays.
Datuk Nik Aziz held the seat from 1995 till his death in 2015 from prostate cancer.
The death triggered a by-election, which was won by PAS’ Ahmad Fatthan with 96 per cent of the votes.
Nik Omar said that though he had his eye on Chempaka, he had initially discarded the idea because of speculation that his brother would be fielded there.
But when the latter eventually became the candidate for Bachuk, he said it was a good opportunity for him to contest the seat and continue his father’s legacy.
On criticism that he is riding on his father’s coattails, Nik Omar simply said: “I am not a real man if I am.”
A focus on education in Kelantan
Having attained a Master’s in education studies from Yarmouk University in Jordan, Nik Omar will make education his priority during his campaign, and if he is elected.
Currently the principal of Madrasah Darul Anuar, an Islamic school first established by his grandfather, Nik Omar said he was drawn to PH’s emphasis on education, and plans to help the Opposition coalition build an Islamic school in Kelantan that caters to students from the nursery to university level.
Describing Malaysia’s education system as a failure, Nik Omar said that current institutions do not see students through from when they are children till they become young adults, and that the curriculum is not consistent.
“What I want to do is to develop Kelantan children into good human beings, who have both knowledge and good morals,” he added.
Saying his approach during the campaign would be based on “explaining and not attacking”, he said he is prepared to endure the criticisms and challenges that come with being a politician.
As for the odds of him swinging die-hard PAS voters over to the PH coalition, he said: “My fate is in God’s hands. Win or lose, I will continue to serve the country in whatever ways I can.” — TODAY
