Nik Mohamad Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz insisted that DAP was currently leading Pakatan Harapan. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

KUALA LUMPUR, May 6 — A Pakatan Harapan electoral victory holds no guarantee that Islamic principles and ideals will continue being empowered, said Nik Mohamad Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz.

The PAS central committee member also said in an Utusan Malaysia report today that the pact cannot beat Barisan Nasional in the general election without the Islamist party.

“Even if we stick with Pakatan Harapan, we cannot guarantee that the victory will ensure the empowerment of Islam,” he reportedly said.

Nik Abduh explained this was why PAS would work with anyone including Umno to ensure that the Islamist party’s goal to empower Islam in Malaysia is successful.

The Pasir Mas MP also insisted that DAP was currently leading Pakatan Harapan, and the opposition party has only two options to win federal power.

“The first is by making the non-Muslims the majority in the country, but to me this is a far-off [option], as statistically, the number of Muslims are increasing in the country.

“Secondly, DAP can be the government when Muslims are set ‘adrift’, without caring about religion, and when they only care about money, the economy and their own livelihoods, hence they will take DAP’s bait,” he said.

Nik Abduh said that DAP’s main struggle is a secular “Malaysian Malaysia” concept that PAS vehemently opposed.

“It is clear today that DAP is struggling to turn the country a liberal one, without any religious ties, and this is why PAS cannot be with Harapan in its fight for Putrajaya.”

The Islamist party fell out with secular DAP in 2015, leading to the breakup of the Pakatan Rakyat partnership formed after the landmark Election 2008 that denied the ruling Barisan Nasional its customary two-thirds control of Parliament for the first time in decades.

PAS also rejected Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia and resolved to cut ties with PKR during its muktamar earlier this month.