The meeting had given rise to speculation that Nik Abduh might join Pakatan Harapan, which is led by Anwar, or that he would be the ruling federal coalition’s candidate to be the next menteri besar in Kelantan.
Nik Abduh said the meeting had been planned before Ramadan and was postponed because of the prime minister’s busy schedule.
“At that meeting I congratulated him and prayed that Datuk Seri (Anwar) would be able to carry out his duties well as prime minister,” he said according to Utusan Malaysia.
Nik Abduh, a former MP for Bachok, was dropped by PAS at the 2022 general election. He said it was merely coincidental that his brother, Nik Omar, an Amanah member, was also present.
Pictures of the meeting began to spread online after being first posted by independent preacher Wan Ji Wan Hussin, a PKR member, who was present.
He posted two pictures saying: “God willing, Tok Guru Nik Abdul Aziz’s legacy will always be in the heart of Malaysia’s prime minister.”
In another posting, Wan Ji wrote that while there were many who sought to stamp out the legacy left behind by Nik Abdul Aziz, others are more than willing to continue it.
The picture had sparked speculation that Nik Abduh would leave PAS to join his brother in Pakatan Harapan, with a poster touting him as the federal unity coalition’s future menteri besar candidate going viral online today.
The influence of his father Tok Guru Nik Abdul Aziz and the late Fadzil Noor, then PAS president, had been regarded as instrumental in the rise of Pakatan Rakyat in the years before the then opposition coalition made stunning gains in the 2008 general election.
However, PAS under its current president Abdul Hadi Awang, has separated ways with PH and entered an alliance with Bersatu, led largely by former Umno members.
Anwar visits ailing Abim comrade
In Kuala Lumpur, Anwar and his wife Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail visited a close friend, Razali Nawawi, the ailing founder and first president of Abim.
Razali became the first president of the Muslim youth movement in 1972 and introduced the ‘usrah’ system. He was suceeded by Anwar as Abim president in 1974.