Published: Friday July 31, 2009 MYT 9:10:00 AM
Updated: Friday July 31, 2009 MYT 8:51:28 PM
Permatang Pasir rep dies, by-election on the cards (Update 2)
GEORGE TOWN: Penang state assemblyman for Permatang Pasir Mohd Hamdan Abdul Rahman died at the National Heart Centre (IJN) in Kuala Lumpur at 6.10am on Friday.
Mohd Hamdan, a two-term state assemblyman and former Penang PAS commissioner, was 60. He leaves behind a wife and six children.
The Election Commission is expected to announce the nomination and polling dates for the Permatang Pasir state by-election by Aug 10.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, also the Barisan Nasional chairman, confirmed that Umno and Barisan would be contesting the by-election.
Penang PAS Deputy Commissioner I Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa said he regarded Mohd Hamdan’s death as a big loss to the party.
He said Mohd Hamdan was a good and humble man who had been in the party for a long time and was active in championing workers’ issues, Bernama reported.
Opposition chief in the Penang State Assembly, Datuk Azhar Ibrahim, who described Mohd Hamdan as a man with strong principles, expressed his condolences to Mohd Hamdan’s family.
”I have lost an old friend. He contested twice against me for the Penaga state seat (and lost) in the 1990 and 1995 general elections before moving to Permatang Pasir,” he added.
Penang PKR liaison chief Datuk Seri Zahrain Mohamed Hashim regarded Mohd Hamdan’s death as a loss to the state.
“He was an important asset to the party that will remain unforgettable,” said PAS information chief Idris Ahmad.
He hoped that others in PAS would learn from Mohd Hamdan’s dedication towards Islam, the people and the party, adding that PAS was ready to continue his legacy at the Permatang Pasir State Legislative Assembly.
In KOTA BARU, PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat said the party would contest in the by-election for the Permatang Pasir state seat, which he said was a PAS stronghold.
“Mohd Hamdan had sacrificed a lot for the party, his time and property. He had been in the party longer than I am,” he added.
The Election Commission (EC) chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof said he expected to receive the notice on the vacancy for the seat from the Penang State Assembly Speaker, Datuk Abdul Halim Hussain, by next Monday.
After that, the EC will hold a meeting to discuss the polling and nomination dates, he told Bernama.
Abdul Halim said he was waiting for the death certificate before senting the notice of vacancy to the Penang EC.
Mohd Hamdan’s body is expected to arrive in Permatang Pasir by 2pm Friday and will be buried at the Permatang Pasir Muslim cemetery after the Asar prayer.
In the general election in 2008, he beat Umno candidate Ahmad Sahar Shuib with a majority 5,433 majority to win the seat.
Before joining politics, Mohd Hamdan taught in Sultan Abdul Hamid College in Kedah from 1965 to 1966.
He then worked as an administration officer with Kedah state government for a year, before becoming an administration officer with the Perak Royal Customs and Excise Department in 1977 and held the position for the next six years.
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