POLITICIANS across the spectrum in Sarawak have hailed the important role that the late Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud had played in nurturing multi-racialism and multi-religious harmony in the state.
PKR deputy chairman Abun Sui Anyit said Taib, the longest serving state chief minister in Malaysia, cultivated a society that was united as far as ethnic and communal relations are concerned.
"Tun Taib had been at the forefront of building Sarawak as a state united in multiracial and multi-religious cohesiveness.
"We acknowledge that very important role he had performed,” said Sui, who is a senator, in a statement to express the party’s condolences on his passing.
Taib, 87, breathed his last at a private hospital in Kuala Lumpur at 4.28am yesterday.
He had served as Sarawak's chief minister for over three decades starting from 1981, making him the longest-serving head of government in Malaysian state history.
He then served for three terms as Sarawak governor from March 1, 2014, until January 26 this year when Tun Tan Sri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar succeeded him.
A senior state leader also credited Taib for having played a pivotal role in laying the foundation for a multiracial and multi-religious Sarawak.
The solid unity and harmony existing now among the many diverse communities of faiths and races was due to Taib to a large extent, said Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah, chief of Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu’s (PBB) women’s wing.
Fatimah, who is minister in the state Women, Family and Community Well-being Ministry, said that the foundation of multiracialism and religious tolerance has seen Sarawak progress on the social, economic and political fronts.
"Tun Taib was the one who brought Sarawakians of all races, faiths and ethnic groups together.
"His policies of cultivating multi-religious and multiracial unity and harmony were reflected on the social and political fronts,” she said in a statement.
"These enabled Sarawak to prosper in the social sectors, business and industrial arenas and brought stability and peace.
"His passing left a huge void in Sarawak. We pray that Tun Taib will rest in peace," she added. "May Allah forgive him for his sins and grant him eternal rest."
Lifelong devotion to public service
Meanwhile, Sarawak Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah described Taib as a leader who had devoted his life to public service.
In fact, Abdul Karim, who is also the state Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Minister, said Taib had dedicated his life not only to Sarawak but also to the nation way before his tenure as the state chief minister.
“The day Malaysia was formed in 1963, Abdul Taib was a state minister; the youngest in Sarawak,” Karim told Bernama yesterday.
“While he was serving as a state minister, he was brought over to the federal to be a minister. He served about four or five ministries before returning to Sarawak in 1981.”
“After 33 years as Sarawak Chief Minister, he was appointed as Sarawak Governor until the end of January this year.
“So, from his young life to his tenure as governor and until his demise today, he has devoted his life to public service,” he said in a phone interview featured in Bernama TV’s The Brief yesterday.
At the same time, Abdul Karim said everything Sarawak has today such as political stability, racial harmony and tolerance towards each other were all led by Taib; hence his demise was felt by all, especially the people of Sarawak.
Following Taib’s death, prayers were conducted at the National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
His remains were brought back to Kuching at around 3pm yesterday.
The state government declared two days of official mourning, and all state and national flags are flown at half-mast. – The Vibes, February 22, 2024
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