In his 19 years as Kelantan menteri besar, Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat has barely had a hint of public criticism over his management of the state - at least, not from within.

But there was no muting the protest when, in August, he appointed his son-in-law Abdul Ariffahmi Ab Razak as chief executive officer of Kelantan Menteri Besar Incorporated.

The decision proved costly for Nik Aziz, a revered Islamic scholar and PAS spiritual leader, as allegations of nepotism were rained on him from rivals Umno as well as leaders of his own party.

NONE In a recent interview with Malaysiakini at his Kota Bharu office, Nik Aziz claimed that his decision was right at the time, since no one had contested it.

He put the blame squarely on state legal adviser (LA) Azlan Abdul Halim, a representative of the attorney-general's chambers.

"When I appointed my son-in-law, I didn't know that I couldn't do so. (He was) appointed during a full (board) meeting. The LA was there," said Nik Aziz, the oldest state administrative head at 78.

"I specified in the document that he is my son-in-law, but the LA was silent. So I thought the appointment was valid. Now, there are people making noise. But I know what I did was right, because the LA was silent. So that is what happened.

"...How can you blame me? But now that this is an issue, I have told (Ariffahmi) to resign."

Nik Aziz said he had appointed Ariffahmi because, over several years, he has come to know him well during frequent family get-togethers. Their homes are also near each other in Pulau Melaka, north of Kota Bharu.

He described Ariffahmi as knowledgeable, young, active and religious.

Tired to answer more

However, before more could be asked about the appointment and their relationship, Nik Aziz clasped his chest with a hand and ended the interview, saying he was tired.

Nik Aziz has a history of heart complications and has been warded at the National Heart Institute on several occasions, most recently on Nov 6. Before the noon interview, he had attended an official function.

NONE Ariffahmi, 36, graduated with an engineering degree from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, where he met Nik Amalina, the ninth of Nik Aziz's 10 children.

His appointment escaped scrutiny until he came under a probe by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) early last month, sparking a crisis over his leadership.

Following this, the PAS central committee officially objected to Ariffahmi's appointment, and president Abdul Hadi Awang personally conveyed this to Nik Aziz.

PAS leaders were concerned that the conflict of interest would affect Nik Aziz and the party's image, as its parliamentarians have been instrumental in ensuring that "sons and daughter-in-laws" are defined as ‘family' in the MACC Act.

After much pressure, Ariffahmi stated that he would hand his resignation letter on Dec 24, and that it would take effect 90 days later.

‘ God's gift to Kelantan '

On the payment of oil royalty, Nik Aziz maintained that the federal government is wrong to substitute this with wang ehsan (a compassionate fund).

NONE Other than the federal government having a legal obligation to pay royalty, Nik Aziz said it is "not logical" to have a federal agency disbursing funds because the money will not reach the target groups.

"We as the state government know how to utilise the funds. There were floods recently and the state needs to repair roads and bridges. All this needs money. It is not just the federal government that needs funds," he said.

"We are not asking for money from other states. This is (money from) what God had given to the state of Kelantan."

He said the state government is preparing to take legal action against the federal government but declined to say when the case will be filed.

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