“THOSE days we couldn’t even sit together. Today we are seated at the same table for the benefit of the people of Kelantan.”

With these words, Kelantan Deputy Menteri Besar Datuk Nik Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah admitted that cooperation between Umno and PAS has reached a new milestone.

“Our relationship has improved because of these floods. Now there is a joint committee with co-chairmen from both sides.

“We hope this will continue, [so] we can talk about other things like [the oil] royalty,” Nik Mohd Amar told The Edge Financial Daily when met at his office in Kota Baru recently.

For now, however, the reconstruction work after the floods is as far as the cooperation goes.

“We have not even thought of political cooperation or unity talks. We are concerned with rehabilitation and helping flood victims,” says Nik Mohd Amar.

“The question of reconciliation is not at our level. That is the [job of the] leadership of PAS and Umno. Our focus is G-to-G and the spirit of federalism.”

However he is not concerned that Umno is using the natural disaster to put one foot in the door in its quest to wrest the state from PAS which has run the administration for 23 years.

“I believe the Kelantanese are mature in their political considerations and will do what they feel is right when the time comes. We don’t feel threatened.”

But Nik Mohd Amar can anticipate some amount of frustration if his experience during the floods is anything to go by.

The state, being dependent on the National Security Council during rescue operations, had to cope with what support was given, as the council is responsible for deploying assets, including machinery and coordinating air rescue efforts, among other things.

“We are not happy... we feel that more can be done from our point of view, but we cannot direct them. We did expect full force but unfortunately we felt that was not to be,” said Nik Mohd Amar.

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on March 2, 2015.