contract with the Malaysian government, arriving in Karak to work in a rural health centre in the area. Malaysia's then-Deputy Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak also visited the town in 1967 to open a $90,000 mosque. The country's education minister Khir Johari also opened a secondary school in Karak in 1967, and thanked the Canadian government for providing $6 million in aid to build secondary schools in the state. Kampung Baru Karak 2021 fire The town suffered its worst fire in its history on Oct 1, 2021 when the conflagration tore through the Kampung Baru Karak housing area, destroying 53 houses and eight shops. The blaze was believed by authorities to have started from an empty barber shop that had "wiring issues", before spreading to burn down the brick-and-wooden buildings that were aged over 50 years old in the settlement. There were no casualties reported, though the incident left 162 people homeless. Politics In the 1955 Malayan general election, Karak being under the Bentong district was included in the Semantan federal seat, which was won by Abdul Razak Hussein of the United Malays National Organisation(UMNO), beating Mohd Yassin Mohd Salleh of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party by a majority of 12,095 votes. Abdul Razak later became the country's first Deputy Prime Minister and later its second Prime Minister. The Sabai state seat of the Pahang State Legislative Assembly was later created for the 1959 Malayan general election, and contested by UMNO's Abu Bakar Ahmad (b. 1922 - d. 1981) who beat independent candidate Leong Thee Cheok by a majority of 1,997 votes. Abu Bakar was the eldest son of Kampung Karak Setia's first village chief Ahmad Dollah and one of the founders of UMNO's Sabai branch that was formed in 1949. He stayed on as the Sabai assemblyman and became a Pahang State Executive Council member for two terms, but did not contest the 1974 elections after a traffic accident in Kuantan. Karak also saw participation in local council elections that were contested by various locals until local polls were suspended by the country's federal government in 1965. A branch of the Malayan Chinese Association was also formed in the town in 1962. Karak's current Member of Parliament is Bentong's Wong Tack from the Democratic Action Party, while the Sabai state seat is currently held by Kamache Doray Rajoo, also from the DAP. References Towns in Pahang Populated places in Pahang