Yet Another By Election

Manik Urai Assemblyman Dies

KOTA BAHARU, May 22 (Bernama) -- Manik Urai state assemblyman Ismail Yaacob died early today of a heart attack. He was 60.
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 a 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 general election last year and defeated Mohamed Zulkifli Omar of the 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 others being 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 assemblyman Wan Abdul Aziz Wan Jaafar on Oct 31 of that year.
The three-cornered by-election was won by Hanafi Mamat of the BN with a majority of 134 votes. He beat Hanifah Ahmad of PAS and independent candidate Datuk Ibrahim Ali.

ALFATIHAH.