KOTA BARU: Former Kelantan Deputy Menteri Besar Datuk Rozali Isohak has the distinction of being the only Umno member who has served the post under Pas spiritual leader, the late Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat.
This happened when Pas forged an alliance with the now defunct Umno splinter party, Parti Melayu Semangat 46 (Semangat 46) from 1990 to 1996.
Rozali, 67, said he started out doing several jobs after leaving the university including a short-stint as a sub-editor in Malay daily, Berita Harian before finally returning to his home state Kelantan to serve in the state civil service.
"I joined Umno in 1981 when I was serving as Assistant District Officer (ADO) in Gua Musang, although we are not supposed to be involved in politics. Umno was the only party that could served the people especially those in the rural areas," he said.
Rozali quit his post five years later to contest in the newly created Dabong state seat in the 1986 election and won handsomely, beating his Pas opponent.
When Umno was banned following a court decision in 1988 and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah formed Semangat 46, Rozali joined him.
"I was a state assemblyman under the Gua Musang division which was headed by Tengku Razaleigh. He was a powerful political figure in Kelantan and close to the palace.
"The other two state assemblymen who did not join us were wiped out in the 1990 election," he said.
In fact, Pas and the Semangat 46 created a record when they wiped out Umno in the election, winning all 39 seats contested.
Rozali said the Pas-Semangat 46 state government, however, was shaky from the start and not destined to stay for long.
"There were differences. Semangat 46 is a nationalist party just like Umno while Pas was one based on religion. The only thing that bind us was a common enemy, Umno," he said.
Rozali said the contrast between the two parties became more obvious as the years went on until Tengku Razaleigh decided to disband the party and rejoined Umno in 1996.
"Our biggest disparity is on issues involving culture and women. Pas wants to ban most cultural activities including dikir barat, mak yong and wayang kulit as according to them, there are aspects in the performances which are against Islam.
"Pas was also enforcing rules like asking Muslim women to cover up with the tudung which we don't quite agree," he said.
Rozali said he was close to Nik Aziz and when he went to see him before stepping down as his deputy, Nik Aziz tried to persuade him to stay on.
"He said I can be the deputy MB as long he was still holding his post. However, I told him that I am the leader of Semangat 46 in Kelantan and if I stayed on, people will say that I have been bribed by him and it will not be good for our image.
"Nik Aziz finally relented but he told me that I am welcome to join Pas any time," he said.
Rozali said he is still busy nowadays doing party works through Mubarak and the Kelantan Umno Veterans association where he is the senior vice-chairman and chief respectively.
