KLANG: Former Meru assemblyman Dr Abd Rani Osman (pic), 64, has passed away while on holiday with his family.
According to Selangor PAS secretary Roslan Shahir, Dr Abd Rani was at Carey Island with his family when he collapsed yesterday.
“He was rushed to Banting Hospital but died on the way,” said Roslan.Dr Abd Rani, a former Selangor PAS commissioner, apparently had diabetes and heart disease.
“He had campaigned for Kapar MP Dr Halimah Ali in the general election [last November] and had appeared quite frail during that time,” said Roslan.
The medical doctor, who owned a general practice in Meru town, had contested and won the Meru state seat in the 2008 and 2013 elections.
A jovial man with an infectious sense of humour, he made people burst into laughter whenever he introduced himself as Rani Mukherji, a Bollywood actress.
Dr Abd Rani would carry out medical check-ups on the campaign trail and ask questions in a smattering of Cantonese and Tamil.
Selangor senior exco member Datuk Teng Chang Khim said he had lost a dear friend, noting that Dr Abd Rani was “consistent, firm and loyal to his political struggle”.
Current Meru assemblyman Mohd Fakhrulrazi Mokhtar said “Dr Abd Rani was a good listener and was respected by his multiracial electorate. He had good programmes for the constituency and I am still continuing some of them.”
Selangor state assembly Speaker Ng Suee Lim said he had known Dr Abd Rani and had travelled with him on a working trip to Nairobi when both were backbenchers.
“He was a very inclusive leader who got along well with people of all religions and races,” he said.
Dr Abd Rani leaves behind a wife, four children and 11 grandchildren. His remains were taken to Masjid As-Syarif in Meru for prayers and later buried at the Meru Muslim cemetery.
