updated version Pengkalan Pasir state assemblyperson Wan Abdul Aziz Wan Jaafar, 55, died of liver cancer at the Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia in Kelantan's Kubang Kerian at 6.05am today.

He leaves a wife and seven children aged between 13 and 28.

Deputy Menteri Besar Ahmad Yaacob said the assemblyperson was buried at the Dusun Nyiur cemetery in Meranti near Pasir Mas at 11.30am.

According to Bernama, Wan Abdul Aziz was treated at several hospitals and private medical centres including KBMC after being diagnosed with cancer three months ago.

His third son, Wan Mohamed Zulfaisyal, 26, said his mother, Kamariah Jaafar, 50, was with Wan Abdul Aziz when he drew his last breath.

He said his father was a healthy man who was seldom sick but all that changed after he was diagnosed with cancer three months ago.

Since then, Wan Abdul Aziz had been shuttling between hospitals, including Hospital Raja Perempuan Zainab Dua in Kota Bahru, Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM) in Kubang Kerian and Hospital Selayang in Kuala Lumpur, and private medical centres for specialist treatment, he said.

Critical stage

He said it was difficult to treat his father because the cancer had reached a critical stage when detected.

Wan Abdul Aziz was one of 24 PAS state assemblypersons in Kelantan who won in the 2004 general election.

This enabled PAS to retain control of the state government with a narrow majority of three seats.

After last year's general election on March 21 and several recounts the following day, PAS was declared winner with 24 seats, while BN took the other 21.

In the election, Wan Abdul Aziz defeated Umno's Hanafi Mamat by a wafer-thin majority of 56. He garnered 7,168 votes while Hanafi bagged 7,112 vote.

Arch-rival Umno is expected to go all out to wrest the seat from PAS in the upcoming by-election, in the bid to put the party within striking distance to winning the state government.

Kelantan is the sole state controlled by the opposition.