KUALA BESUT, July 16 ― Dr A. Rahman Mokhtar’s death may be why there is even a by-election here, but that is not stopping Barisan Nasional (BN) from banking on the goodwill left by the late assemblyman to give its candidate an edge over his opponent from PAS.

Dr A. Rahman died of cancer on June 26, triggering a straight fight between his probable successor from BN, Tengku Zaihan Che Ku Abdul Rahman, and PAS’s Azlan Yusof ― both political debutants.

“Dalam sibuk berpilihan raya, jangan dilupa pada yang berjasa,” said a banner here, one of the many strung along the road between Kuala Besut and Jertih. In English, it means “In the flurry of the election, forget not those who have served”.

The banners depict the late doctor sitting cross-legged on the floor of a veranda while chatting with two villagers. Below his photo are the words: “Dr A. Rahman Mokhtar dalam kenangan...” (In memory of Dr A. Rahman...).

The banners were replete with a reminder of the fatihah chapter in the Quran, sometimes recited to honour the departed. A 1 Malaysia logo and its accompanying slogan were spotted at the bottom right corner.

It is understood that Dr A. Rahman had been a well-loved personality among the locals, and had carried over his care for patients into his work for the constituency.

When met recently, Dr A. Rahman’s widow Azizah M. Omar told reporters about how he would ask her to accompany him on house visits even late at night.

Several fishermen met by The Malay Mail Online in Kampung Nail, a stone’s throw away from Dr A. Rahman’s residence, also spoke highly of him.

“He was a perfect ‘wakil rakyat’ (people’s representative). He was a good man,” said Hasan Yusof, 37, when met in Sungai Besut.

Sitting with his other fishermen friends while waiting to break their fast, Hasan said he does not really know Tengku Zaihan well, but will most likely vote for him anyway since he is touted by BN as the best to continue the “stability” brought by Dr A. Rahman.

A former engineer with a degree from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Tengku Zaihan is considered a natural successor to Dr A. Rahman who had graduated from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).

“Dr A. Rahman would love Tengku Zaihan to continue his job if he were still alive ... I’m confident he is a professional who is able to be a good candidate if given a chance,” Azizah said here.

In contrast, Azlan holds a contractor certificate from the Malaysian Industrial Training Institute, a fact that has been used by his critics in BN to undermine him.

In Election 2013, Dr A. Rahman had defeated PAS’s Napisah Ismail with a comfortable 2,434-vote majority. The state seat has 17,679 registered voters, of whom 98 per cent are Malays.