GEORGE TOWN – Gerakan lost a unique leader on Monday when its former youth vice-chairman Raja Muharimi Raja Muhammad died in Kota Baru, Kelantan.
The 49-year-old had just returned from campaigning in Melaka when he collapsed in his bathroom on Sunday and was rushed to the hospital before he died.
He was one of a few Malays who rose through the ranks to lead the party.
Kelantan Gerakan election chairman Ong Khang Woon confirmed the passing, saying that in a time where race and religion weigh heavily on voters, Raja Muharimi was an exception.
A Kelantan native, Raja Muharimi worked tirelessly to showcase Gerakan’s ideology of moderation and social justice, Ong told The Vibes.
The former schoolteacher in Machang, Raja Muharimi rose to prominence when he refused to accept that the hudud criminal code should be adopted in Kelantan.
Acknowledging that he would likely be chastised over his position by his fellow Muslims, Raja Muharimi then said it was better to safeguard national unity and security rather than be embroiled in a polemic debate.
Despite being on different political sides, he once said he had the highest respect for the former PAS spiritual adviser Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat for his pious outlook and sense of justice.
Nik Abdul Aziz, a former Kelantan menteri besar, died in 2015. – The Vibes, November 24, 2021
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