Langkawi constituents concerned over health of newly elected MP

LANGKAWI – Residents here are concerned over the health of their newly minted MP Datuk Mohd Suhaimi Abdullah after the Bersatu deputy permanent chairman was apparently hospitalised in Penang.

Suhaimi, who reportedly underwent a kidney transplant in Vietnam just weeks before polling on November 19, had apparently become unwell recently after a hectic schedule of commuting between the island resort and the Kedah mainland to celebrate the electoral success of Perikatan Nasional (PN) in the state.

PN swept through Kedah, winning 13 out of the 15 parliament seats except for Sg Petani.

The election for the Padang Serai parliamentary seat will be held on December 7 after it was postponed to mark the death of its incumbent and Pakatan Harapan candidate M. Karupaiya.

Suhaimi is said to have sought treatment at a private hospital in Penang although The Vibes was unable to confirm the extent of his treatment there.

Attempts were made to contact Suhaimi, but he could not be reached.

An official with Langkawi Bersatu, however, said that they were not informed about Suhaimi’s health status but confirmed that he suffers from a kidney condition.

“Our Datuk (Suhaimi) at times goes in and out of hospital for treatment. So perhaps, this latest speculation is about him just going in for his routine checks.”

T. Nadarajah, a travel agent here, expressed concern as there is speculation that Suhaimi may have been taken ill and needs to rest.

“Well, he just won a historic election over our former two-term prime minister (Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad) so we have high expectations that he will come and help us.”

Nadarajah said that the residents here like their counterparts on the mainland face rising living costs issues while tourism is not yet at a satisfactory level after the ill effects from Covid-19 here.

Suhaimi, who was previously with Umno, was among many Kedah leaders who joined Bersatu when it was set up by Dr Mahathir but chose to remain loyal to the party after the latter decided to quit and form Pejuang.

Dr Mahathir’s Pejuang, which comprises many civil society leaders, community leaders, and Malay rights activists, was wiped out during the November 19 polls.

They lost the 125 parliamentary seats contested under the flag of Gerakan Tanah Air while Dr Mahathir and his son, Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir, lost their deposits in the parliamentary seats of Langkawi and Jerlun respectively.

Suhaimi won the landmark election by defeating three other candidates including Dr Mahathir with a majority of 13,518 votes.

Besides Dr Mahathir, Suhaimi also defeated Datuk Armishah Siraj of Barisan Nasional, Zabidi Yahya of Pakatan Harapan, and independent Datuk Abdul Kadir Sainudin.

One of the major pressing issues during the Langkawi election was the health of Dr Mahathir, who is now 98.

Political observers here said that Bersatu should have been fair to Suhaimi and the voters here by choosing a candidate who is not stricken with health issues.

“One of the main criteria in selecting a candidate is whether they can deliver and (for this), they should be healthy. The expectations of the people are sky high,” they said. – The Vibes, December 2, 2022