Updated at 2.49am
KOTA BARU, 22 May 2009:Manik Urai state assemblyperson Ismail Yaacob died early today of a heart attack. He was 60.
This was confirmed by Kelantan Deputy Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Yakob, when contacted by Bernama today.
Ismail, one of the longest-serving PAS elected representatives in Kelantan, died at 5.55am at the Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital here. He was admitted to the hospital in April.
Ismail leaves behind his wife, Siti Zaharah Ibrahim, and 10 children. The burial will be held after the Friday prayers today.
Ismail, who was deputy head of the PAS Kuala Krai Division, won the Manik Urai state seat in the general election in 1985 and had been the elected representative there for five terms.
He did not contest the seat in the general election in 2004, paving the way for Zamzuri Mat Lazim to be the elected representative.
Ismail contested the seat again in the 2008 general election and defeated Mohamed Zulkifli Omar of Barisan Nasional (BN) with a majority of 1,352 votes.
Manik Urai is one of the four state seats in the Kuala Krai parliamentary constituency. The other three are Dabung, Guchil and Mengkembang.
PAS, helmed in Kelantan by Menteri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, retained Kelantan in the general election last year by winning 38 seats. The BN won six seats and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), one.
The last by-election in Kelantan was held in the Pengkalan Pasir state constituency in Pasir Mas in December 2005, following the death of PAS state assemblyperson Wan Abdul Aziz Wan Jaafar on 31 Oct 2005.
The three-corner by-election was won by BN’s Hanafi Mamat with a majority of 134 votes. He beat Hanifah Ahmad of PAS and independent candidate Datuk Ibrahim Ali.
Meanwhile, Kelantan state assembly speaker Mohd Nassuruddin Daud is to notify the Election Commission of the vacant Manik Urai state seat on 25 May.
He said that today and tomorrow were the weekend holidays in Kelantan and tomorrow and Sunday the weekend holidays in Kuala Lumpur.
“We will notify the EC of the vacancy on Monday,” Mohd Nassuruddin told reporters after paying his last respects to Ismail Yaacob. — Bernama
