KUALA LUMPUR, March 25 — Hulu Selangor MP Datuk Dr Zainal Abidin Ahmad (picture) died tonight of brain cancer, triggering the country’s 10th by-election. He was 71.
His brother Md. Hambali Ahmad said the PKR MP passed away at his home in 9, 1/2, Jalan Cheras, Kajang, and leaves behind a wife, Datin Siti Zaharah Mohd Zin and four children.
The Dewan Rakyat Speaker will have to inform the Election Commission which will then call for a by-election within 60 days,
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had launched Umno’s Juara Rakyat campaign to win votes there last February, promising RM15 million to repair the roofs of public flats in the constituency,
Pakatan Rakyat de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has also spoken there at ceramahs and promised services after the PKR MP fell ill.
Analysts say the Malay vote is evenly split between the rival coalitions and so the significant Indian minority will be crucial to both.
Zainal Abidin was an Umno Hulu Langat state assemblyman from 1990 before being dropped from contesting the 2004 election.
He served as Deputy MB from 1995 to 1999 and was also in the state executive council under the then mentri besar Datuk Seri Khir Toyo.
Zainal Abidin crossed over to PKR in 2005 following a fall out with Umno.
In Election 2008, Zainal Abidin won the Hulu Selangor parliamentary seat by a wafer thin majority of 198 votes against MIC deputy president Datuk G. Palanivel.
The MIC are preparing to put Palanivel up again if a by-election is called but Umno could also name its own candidate, sources said.
Palanivel told The Malaysian Insider that he had been representing the people and working in his constituency nearly everyday since Election 2008.
“I will work even harder to wrest the seat back for BN,” he said when contacted tonight.
“I am ready, I have been working and serving the people non-stop.”
Source : Malaysian Insider
AL-FATIHAH…
“I hope PKR puts a reliable candidate so that he won’t cross over like few of the PKR MPs did.”
Personally I think PR will win the by-election…
