An aide said doctors detected a blockage and ordered the surgery.

Zakiyuddin, 60, was wheeled into the operating theatre at 9am today for the surgery which was expected to take about six to eight hours, his aide Muhasdey Muhammad told FMT.

Zakiyuddin complained of chest pains while attending a function in Kepala Batas on July 5 and was rushed to a private hospital in Seberang Jaya.

He was then referred to the Penang Hospital where he was placed under observation in the cardiology ward.

Doctors then classified his case as a “minor heart attack”. Zakiyuddin was able to converse and walk.

According to the British Health Foundation, a heart bypass surgery uses a blood vessel from the leg, arm or chest of a patient to bypass a narrowed or damaged section of a coronary artery.

Zakiyuddin won the Pinang Tunggal seat in Butterworth in the recent general election.

He is also Penang’s Islamic affairs, industrial development and community relations committee chairman.