KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Assistant Housing and Local Government Minister, Datuk Mohamad Hamsan Awang Supain, has passed away from acute kidney failure at KPJ Sabah Specialist Hospital on Sunday (January 19) night. He was 65.
His younger brother, Wahidan, confirmed his passing at 11.20pm, saying he was surrounded by his wife, Datin Kalsom Abd Aziz, and their four daughters in his final moments.
His body was taken to the Sabah State Mosque in Sembulan for prayers before being transported to Sandakan later that night.
Upon arrival, he was brought to his home in Taman Kong Lok before being moved to Masjid Pangiran Batu 7, where friends and acquaintances paid their final respects.
The Sabah Umno’s Sungai Sibuga assemblyman was laid to rest at Bintang Baru Cemetery, Rancangan Sungai Manila, before the Zuhur prayer on Monday (Jan 20).
Mohamad Hamsan had been in and out of the hospital since December, with his most recent admission on Friday (January 17).
He initially showed signs of recovery and was in good spirits when he spoke with Sabah’s Tuan Yang Di-Pertua Negeri, Tun Musa Aman, during a visit on Sunday afternoon.
Born in Sandakan, he was a first-term assemblyman representing Sungai Sibuga under Sabah Umno.
He contested the seat as a Barisan Nasional candidate in the September 2020 snap state election, succeeding Musa, who did not seek re-election.
Musa, Sabah's 14th Chief Minister, was appointed the state’s 11th Tuan Yang Di-Pertua Negeri on January 1 this year.
A dedicated Umno member, Mohamad Hamsan was appointed assistant minister in the ruling Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) state administration under Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
In recognition of his service, he received several state honours, the highest being the Panglima Gemilang Darjah Kinabalu (PGDK), which carries the title Datuk, in 2022.
