Mata Ayer rep laid to rest, Wan Badariah's death leaves fourth vacant seat in Perlis assembly

 

PAS' Mata Ayer assemblyperson Wan Badariah Wan Saad, 50, was laid to rest in Arau, Perlis, today, following her death at Tuanku Fauziah Hospital in Kangar yesterday afternoon.

Her remains were buried at the Kampung Rambai Muslim cemetery in Pauh at about 11.50am, after funeral prayers attended by about 500 people at the Nurul Al-Saadah Mosque in Kampung Banggol Sena, Harian Metro reported.

Among those who paid their last respects were Perlis PAS commissioner Ahmad Ali and Santan assemblyperson Azmir Azizan.

Her husband, Sabry Saad, 53, said Wan Badariah had been looking forward to a family holiday after the upcoming state assembly sitting, but her health suddenly deteriorated yesterday.

He said his wife, who had a thyroid condition, had appeared well and was joking with family members the previous day.

However, she began feeling unwell at about 9am yesterday after complaining of fatigue over the preceding days.

"By 10.30am, she could no longer speak, and we brought her to the emergency department at about 11am with the help of relatives and an ambulance," he said.

Doctors intubated and sedated her, but her oxygen levels and blood pressure continued to drop. Medical personnel attempted to resuscitate her several times before she was pronounced dead at 4.26pm.

Wan Badariah leaves behind her husband and three children, aged between 15 and 19.

'A great loss to Perlis'

Perlis Menteri Besar Abu Bakar Hamzah described Wan Badariah's death as a major loss to the state.

He said he had last met her at an event about two weeks ago.

"We pray that her family remains calm and patient in facing this ordeal, and hope that all Perlis residents will pray for her soul to be blessed and placed among the faithful," he was quoted as saying by Harian Metro yesterday.

Perlis MB Abu Bakar Hamzah

A lawyer by profession, Wan Badariah was the first woman from Perlis PAS nominated to contest a state seat and won Mata Ayer in the 2022 general election. She also previously chaired the state tourism committee under Shukri Ramli's administration.

Wan Badariah's death leaves four of the 15 seats in the state legislative assembly vacant, reducing PAS' representation to five, equal to Bersatu's. PKR's Gan Ay Ling holds the sole opposition seat.

Although Perikatan Nasional retains a combined 10 seats, more than the eight needed for a simple majority, the latest vacancy amid strained ties between the two parties removes PAS' numerical advantage over Bersatu within the coalition.

The other vacant seats are Chuping, Bintong and Guar Sanji, whose representatives lost their PAS membership during the political crisis that led to Shukri's resignation as menteri besar in December last year.

The three assemblypersons - Saad Seman (Chuping), Fakhrul Anwar Ismail (Bintong) and Ridzuan Hashim (Guar Sanji) - were among eight PN representatives who withdrew their support for Shukri.

Shukri resigned on Dec 25, citing health reasons, and was succeeded by Abu Bakar three days later.

Under the Perlis constitution, a by-election is generally not required for a vacancy arising within the final two years of the state assembly term, unless it affects the majority of the party forming the government. - Mkini