Nik Abduh welcomes PAS-Umno cooperation

KUALA LUMPUR: PAS Youth chief Nik Abduh Nik Aziz, representing the young Turks in the party, has welcomed cooperation between Umno and PAS for the sake of Islam and the welfare of the people.

But the old guard, represented by deputy president Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, is against any such collaboration.

Speaking at a function on Tuesday, Nik Abduh, who is the son of former Kelantan mentri besar Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat, said PAS will remain in the opposition but will support Umno “if it does good things”.

“If Umno’s policies are good we will support them,” he said. This stand is very different from that of his revered father who had vehemently opposed any relationship with Umno.

“The younger members are more amenable to seeing Umno as a partner in politics rather than as an enemy,’’ said a retired PAS leader who declined to be named.

However, this feeling is not shared by the old guard, who were nurtured on a diet that prescribed Umno as the political enemy.

“These feelings became rampant in the 1990s, ironically under Hadi himself with his ‘amanat’ (vow) to resist Umno,” he said referring to PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang.

“It was a time of rival mosques, rival leaders and rival everything. Malays were so badly divided that a PAS member would not shake hands with an Umno member,” he said.

Nik Abduh said there is no question of a merger with Umno or PAS joining BN.

“The voters are mature. They can accept us as an opposition party and Umno as the ruling party,” he said.