Pahang MB press secretary dies

KUANTAN: Pahang Menteri Besar press secretary Datuk Abdul Wahab Mohamad Ali died today, believed to be of blood cancer, at the Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital here.

He was 61.

The death of Abdul Wahab at 5.42 pm was confirmed by the Menteri Besar's Office in a brief statement to the media via WhatsApp.

He would be laid to rest at the Bukit Ubi Muslim cemetery tonight.

Born on Feb 26, 1961, Abdul Wahab was by far the longest-serving press secretary, having served since 1995 and under three Pahang Menteris Besar, namely Tun Mohd Khalil Yaakob, Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob and the most recent Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail.

He began his career on Sept 1, 1984, as a News Officer at the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) headquarters in Kuala Lumpur before being transferred to the Pahang Bureau in January 1989 and returned to the headquarters in October 1994 as the News Desk Assistant Editor.

Abdul Wahab was first appointed on loan as Pahang Menteri Besar press secretary on July 1, 1995, before he opted for early retirement from Bernama on June 1, 2006.

After his retirement from Bernama, he continued to serve Khalil, who was the then Menteri Besar, before joining Adnan who took over in 1999 and later with Wan Rosdy, from 2018.

Meanwhile, Wan Rosdy described the late Abdul Wahab as a person who can be relied on and always committed to his duties as a press secretary.

Wan Rosdy said Abdul Wahab was also an important figure who had helped him a lot in carrying out his responsibilities as Menteri Besar.

"His services and contributions will forever be remembered. May Allah place him among the righteous," he said in a Facebook post today.

-- BERNAMA