Five-term PAS state rep in Kelantan suffers heart attack while ill in hospital

KOTA BARU: Manek Urai state as­­semblyman Ismail Yaacob (pic) died yesterday of a heart attack. He was 60.

One of the longest-serving PAS elected representatives in Kelantan, he died at 5.55am at the Raja Perem­puan Zainab II Hospital where he had been admitted since last month for diabetes, heart ailments and gout, reported Bernama.

He leaves behind wife Siti Zaharah Ibrahim and 10 children.

Ismail, who was deputy head of the Kuala Krai PAS division, won the Manek Urai seat in 1985 and had been the elected representative there for five terms.

He did not contest the seat in 2004 but did so last year, defeating Moha­med Zulkepli Omar of Barisan Nasio­nal with a majority of 1,352 votes.

Manek Urai is one of the four state seats in the Kuala Krai parliamentary constituency.

In Kuala Kerai, SYED AZHAR reports that the Kelantan State Assembly Speaker is expected to inform the Election Commission of Ismail’s death on Monday.

Speaker Nassuruddin Daud said Ismail’s death was a loss to the constituents as he was a responsible representative.

“He is a very popular assemblyman and that is why he has won here five times,” he said.

In Putrajaya, commission chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof said the commission would be able to meet on Thursday to decide on the dates for nomination and polling for the Manek Urai by-election, if the commission was notified in writing of the vacancy on Monday.

Meanwhile, PAS has urged Barisan not to contest the Manek Urai seat.

This would enable Barisan to save money, said PAS elections director Datuk Mustafa Ali.

“Even if they win, the Kelantan government will not change because we still hold two-thirds majority,” he said.

Mustafa said Barisan would most likely be defeated in the by-election.

“They might as well not contest,” he told a press conference yesterday.

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