KUANTAN, Aug 18 — Pahang Local Government, Housing, Environment and Green Technology Committee chairman Datuk Seri Johari Harun, 53, who was among the 10 victims of a plane crash in Bandar Elmina, Shah Alam, Selangor, today, was a successful corporate figure before making his debut in the 15th General Election (GE15).

His charisma as a leader and extensive experience allowed him to be selected as the Pahang executive councillor, despite representing Barisan Nasional for the first time in the election.

In GE15, Johari won the Pelangai state seat with a majority of 4,048 votes, defeating Perikatan Nasional candidate Kasim Samat who garnered 3,260 votes, Ahmed Wafiuddin Shamsuri of Pakatan Harapan (2,031 votes) and Isa Ahmad of Pejuang (65 votes).

The Pahang native who was born on Jan 20, 1970, was a former student of the Royal Military College in Sungai Besi and Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) law graduate and was the managing director of Gading Group Berhad.

His involvement in politics began when he was elected as the Bentong Umno division Youth chief from 2008 to 2013 before he was elected deputy chief in 2018.

He then took the helm of the Bentong Umno leadership after winning unopposed in the election last March, taking over from Tan Sri Adnan Yaakob who chose to retire, expressing his desire to use his energy, ideas and experience to strengthen the party under the leadership of Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail as the party was facing an increasingly challenging situation.

Johari was also considered as a successor to lead Pahang Umno, based on his active involvement and the ability to carry out his duties well.

He was also a member of the Board of Trustees of Universiti Islam Pahang Sultan Ahmad Shah’s (UnIPSAS) Yayasan Amanah Tuanku Canselor and was on the Industry Advisory Board of Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) as well as acting as a Bentong Municipal Council member.

Earlier, Pahang State Legislative Assembly Speaker, Datuk Seri Mohd Sharkar Shamsudin, confirmed the news of Johari’s death in the crash on the Guthrie Highway.

Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan confirmed that six passengers and two crew members on board the Beechcraft Model 390 (Premier 1) aircraft as well as a motorist and a motorcyclist who were passing the area were killed in the incident.

The ill-fated plane was on its way from Langkawi to Subang and had been cleared to land at 2.50 pm. — Bernama