"Colonel Mat" adalah bapa saya - Kickdefella

By Adib Zalkapli

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 28 — Syed Azidi Abdul Aziz, who was sacked from the Kelantan Mentri Besar Corporation (PMBK) early this month, today claimed that his late father, retired Lt. Col Syed Abdul Aziz Syed Razak, was also known as “Colonel Mat”.

In the latest posting on his blog, he said the villagers in Kelantan also called his father Syed Amat.

“In the village, those who were not very close to him, Syed Amat was referred to as Colonel Mat,” said Syed Azidi.

“The Colonel Mat that I knew, was my father,” he added.

On Thursday, Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat claimed that there was a conspiracy to topple the state government led by one “Colonel Mat” resulting in speculation that the PAS spiritual leader was hinting at the involvement of the Malaysian Armed Forces in ousting him.

But Kelantan assemblyman Fatah Haron reportedly said that “Colonel Mat” does not refer to any individual but only a symbol to show the existence of a conspiracy against the state government.

Syed Azidi (picture), who blogs as Kickdefella, today said his father died six years ago.
“The Colonel Mat that I knew died at 7.40pm on Oct 7, 2003, in front of all his six children,” he said.

Since his sacking, Syed Azidi has been accusing the state government and the PMBK of mismanagement.

The state government has been bogged down by accusations of cronyism and corruption since early this month over the controversial appointment of the mentri besar’s son-in-law, Ariffahmi Abdul Rahmad, as the CEO of PMBK.

Nik Aziz, who became the mentri besar in 1990, also came under heavy criticism for receiving sponsorship from a businessman to perform the pilgrimage to Mecca.

Following pressure from party leaders and the public, Nik Aziz has cancelled the religious trip and ordered his son-in-law to leave the state investment arm.

The various controversies in the state have led to discussions of a succession plan by some members of the administration. - The Malaysian Insider