Taib Mahmud Dies, To Be Laid To Rest In Demak Jaya

Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud served as Sarawak chief minister from 1981 to 2014.

Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter, or Telegram and WhatsApp channels for the latest stories and updates.

Sarawak’s longest serving chief minister Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud breathed his last today at the age of 87.

His death was confirmed by his daughter Datuk Hanifah Hajar Taib on Facebook.

The state is officially in mourning today and tomorrow and Sarawak’s flag will be flown at half-mast. All official government events which contain elements of entertainment are put on hold.

Abdul Taib was state CM from 1981 to 2014.

He died while receiving treatment at a hospital in Kuala Lumpur at 4.40am. His body will be flown back to Kuching and will be laid to rest in Demak Jaya as reported by FMT.

Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud

Born in 1936 into an aristocratic family, Abdul Taib won a Colombo Plan Scholarship to study law in Australia and returned to Sarawak to serve as a Public Prosecutor.

Abdul Taib is known as the Father of Modernization of Sarawak as he played a significant role in the state’s development.

He introduced the concept of politics of development, which transformed political infighting to economic development.

He also focused on education, having introduced Australian universities in Sarawak, and transformed the constituency into an education hub, as reported by Borneo Post.

He also focused on fostering racial and religious tolerance in Sarawak. He did this by introducing the concept of “The Confluence of Rivers”.

On 28 February, 2014, Abdul Taib succeeded Tun Abang Muhammad Salahuddin Abang Barieng as the seventh governor of Sarawak after relinquishing his position as chief minister.

Earlier this year, Abdul Taib stepped down as governor paving the way for Tun Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar to be appointed as the eighth governor.

Share your thoughts with us on TRP’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.