ARAU, Dec 2 — Former Perlis Menteri Besar Tan Sri Dr Abdul Hamid Pawanteh, who died yesterday, was laid to rest at the Masjid Lama Negeri Cemetery at about 2.30pm today.
Earlier, the funeral prayer was performed at the Arau State Mosque after Friday prayers.
Dr Abdul Hamid breathed his last at about 3.15pm at his residence due to a kidney disease, which he had been suffering from for the past five years. He was 78.
He leaves behind his wife, Puan Sri Elham Hamid Abdullah and five children.
Dr Abdul Hamid’s son Sharif Pawanteh, 39, when met by Bernama, described his father as a person with great patience and he always treated others with kindness.
“That’s why he was loved and respected by many,” he said, adding that his father had always reminded his siblings to lend a helping hand to those in need regardless of who they were.
Dr Abdul Hamid served as Perlis Menteri Besar from 1986 to 1995 before being replaced by Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim.
He also served as a member of the Kangar Municipal Council in 1981 before winning the Arau parliamentary seat in the 1982 General Election and was the Kangar member of Parliament from 1999 to 2003.
In July 2003, Dr Abdul Hamid was appointed as the president of the Dewan Negara and he held the post until 2009.
— Bernama
