Fate has a strange way of choosing politicians for exaltation.
So when a humble Abang Johari Tun Openg suddenly found himself anointed as head of the Sarawak government, many were surprised.
In fact many asked if this quiet and humble politician would be able to take on the herculean task of chief administrator of Sarawak. Judging from his performance thus far, these people have given him the thumbs-up.
Indeed, it would be challenging to fill in the shoes of his forebears – his father Tun Abang Openg who was the first local Governor of Sarawak and three outstanding Chief Ministers, Tun Abdul Rahman Yakub (1970-1981), Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud (1981-2014) and Datuk Patinggi Adenan Satem (2014-2016).
All three former chief ministers were lawyers by profession; the first two serving the state for a total of almost 50 years.
Could Abang Johari or Abang Jo, as he is affectionately known as, emulate the predecessors who were fiery politicians who weathered the storm of criticism while establishing the foundations of independent Sarawak? The first two chief ministers, especially, played key roles in overcoming a communist insurgency when fledgling Sarawak was nothing more than a jungle in 1963.
At the same time the duo established the groundwork for a modern Sarawak.
And it was Adenan who reaped the benefit of their sacrifices when he inherited that mantle of power from his “mentor” Taib who then presented it to him on a golden platter.
Adenan was a dark horse when Taib had to choose the man to fill his boots in late 2013 when the latter made up his mind to retire from politics.
So it was a mind-blowing experience for Adenan, fondly called “Tok Nan” when Taib popped the question.
Adenan never imagined that he would be the chosen one, saying that his selection as successor to Taib was an 11th hour decision.
“Taib did not tell me directly … he told me by hinting. He kept me in suspense until the last minute. He gave the hints when we met in Mecca.”
Similarly, Abang Jo never imagined that Adenan would leave so suddenly when he suffered a heart attack and on January 11, 2016, passing the torch to him.
Abang Jo was sworn in as chief minister on January 13, 2016 – two days after Adenan’s demise – and he said he would carry on with Ton Nan’s legacy.
No rookie himself, Abang Jo left St Thomas’s school to enrol into Lower Six at St Joseph’s School in 1968 – the same year Adenan became a Queen’s Counsel at the University of Adelaide and the year I joined Lower Six at St Thomas’s. Abang Jo had great admiration for Josephian Tok Nan, who is six years his senior.
Almost immediately after Adenan’s passing, the Satok assemblyman who won his first election in 1983, declared he was a member of “Team Adenan” – promulgating the formula of unity and teamwork which his predecessor had instilled and inculcated within the Sarawak Barisan Nasional (BN) fraternity for two years.
Abang Jo told the media in April 2017: “During the state election last year, Sarawakians awarded a new mandate to ‘Team Adenan’ for Sarawak BN to continue leading the state.
“And now, I am inheriting the same team. The only difference is that now, I am the new ‘captain’ of ‘Team Adenan’”, he said.
Fate intervened again when the federal BN coalition led by Prime Minister Datuk Najib Razak lost the election to Pakatan Harapan under Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in the May 9, 2018 election and Sarawak found themselves out in the cold.
Without much ado Abang Jo and his team of young politicians decided to break away from the BN coalition which lost because of factionalism and the perception that the key players in Umno were corrupt, and formed their own Sarawak coalition.
Thus Gabungan Parti Sarawak or GPS was born.
Initially, the naysayers complained that GPS was too simple a name and should have reflected Sarawak’s greatness.
Abang Jo could have insisted that they choose a fancy name, which could be anything from “Wira Sarawak” (Heroes of Sarawak) or “Gagasan Kenyalang” (Warriors of the Hornbill), but instead the consensus was to keep the name simple.
On August 23, 2018, GPS or simply The Sarawak Coalition was formed comprising Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB), Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP), Parti Raktyat Sarawak (PRS) and Progressive Democratic Party (PDP)—was registered.
GPS may be a new name but it’s an old established party whose strength is in its Malay-Melanau constituents.
If you look at history it was the Malay-Melanau leaders who sacrificed their lives for their beloved Sarawak – Abang Jo’s famous ancestor Datu Patinggi Ali and 19 Kuching Malays who were killed in 1844 while battling “rebels” opposed to Rajah Sir James Brooke.
Subsequently, 100 years later a young Melanau from Sibu, Rosli Dhoby, plunged his kris into the abdomen of British Governor Sir Dundan Stewart because he did not agree to the cession of Sarawak to Great Britain in 1946.
Both Ali and Rosli (who was later executed following the death of Stewart) have since been declared “heroes” because of their belief that whatever the consequences, it was worth the sacrifice.
Today many of Sarawak’s politicians have political ties going back to the founding fathers of Sarawak.
Two examples are current Iban assemblyman Gerald Rentap, the son of former deputy chief minister Tan Sri Alfred Jabu Numpang and Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian the son of the late deputy chief minister Tan Sri Sim Kheng Hong.
Datuk Snowdan Lawan is the son of Bukit Begunan assemblyman “giant-killer” Datuk Donald Lawan who defeated former Sarawak BN deputy chief minister Datuk Daniel Tajem Miri who was then an opposition strongman.
Datuk Ali Mahmud is the younger brother of the present Sarawak Governor Tun Abdul Taib whose daughter Datuk Hanifah is the new MP for Mukah.
To add to that, Datuk Amar Jamilah Anu, who is the current assemblyman for Tanjung Datuk, is the wife of the late Adenan.
Even Sarawak’s former federal minister Datuk Nancy Shukri, the daughter of PBB’s prominent Women’s branch leader Bibi Macpherson, was an up-and-coming political figure until the recent parliamentary election.
On the other side, lawyer and deputy minister Chong Chieng Jen is the son of Sarawak DAP founding father Chong Siew Chiang.
” Today many of Sarawak’s politicians have political ties going back to the founding fathers of Sarawak. “
And in the last parliamentary election two young Bidayuhs Willie Mongin and Mordi Bimol, both graduates, also ventured into the Sarawak political arena and won.
From my observation, the “dynamic duo” have tremendous potential to bring Sarawak to greater heights.
Together with the duo and Chong, they are a formidable Sarawak PH team led by two equally qualified lawyers – Lun Bawang Baru Bian and See Chee How.
To quote Abang Jo, the essence of being a Sarawak politician is that “we are race blind”.
He may have added that we are also fair-minded and don’t judge a person because of his affiliation with another politician party with a different agenda.
Speaking at the official launch of GPS on January 19, he said that unlike West Malaysia which has “extreme politicians”, Sarawak respects people of all races and religions.
He said: “We are united and we do not have extreme politicians in Sarawak. We are fair…the Chinese community wants UEC (Unified Examination Certificate)…we recognise UEC.
“The Bumiputeras need assistance, we offer them help.
“Sarawak is unique because the Malays marry the Bidayuhs, the Bidayuhs…the Chinese (who) marry the Iban (who) marry the Malays. We have hybrid Sarawakians.”
How true, Sarawak’s first Chief Minister Tan Sri Stephen Kalong Ningkan is part Iban and Chinese, Tun Rahman’s wife is Chinese, Adenan has Malay-Indian-Chinese ancestry.
Indeed multi-racial Sarawak has a tolerant community who are a role model for Malaysia. And there is much that our counterparts in Malaya can learn if they care to put politics aside.
