| Yang Berhormat Dato' Ismail Kassim |
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|---|---|
| Member of the Malaysian Parliament for Arau, Perlis |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 8 March 2008 |
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| Preceded by | Syed Razlan Syed Putra Syed Jamalullail |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | UMNO–Barisan Nasional |
| Occupation | Member of Parliament |
Dato' Ismail Kassim is a Malaysian politician and is currently the member of the federal parliament for the Arau constituency in Perlis.[1] He is a member of the governing United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) party[1] and the brother of the former Chief Minister of Perlis, Shahidan Kassim.[2]
Ismail was elected to Parliament in the 2008 Malaysian general election, defeating his Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) opponent by a 300 vote margin.[3][4] His predecessor, Syed Razlan Syed Putra, had held the seat with a majority of 3,243.[5] Ismail was previously a member of the Dewan Negara (Senate).[6] He had contested Arau in a by-election in 1998, but was defeated by Hashim Jasin of PAS.[7] His candidacy in 1998 was marred by accusations of cronyism arising from his brother's position as Menteri Besar of Perlis.[8] At the time, UMNO was bleeding support due to allegations by supporters of UMNO leadership contender Anwar Ibrahim of cronyism and nepotism within the party. Selecting the brother of the state's Chief Minister as UMNO's candidate did little to neutralise the allegations. Ismail's defeat was the first time that UMNO had lost a parliamentary seat in Perlis to PAS.[9]
Ismail has also served as the head of UMNO's youth wing in Perlis.[10]
| Year | Barisan Nasional | Votes | Pct | Opposition | Votes | Pct | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Ismail Kassim (UMNO) | 16,451 | 49.4% | Haron Din (PAS) | 16,151 | 48.5% |
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