A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.
– John C. Maxwell, American author
It has taken 60 years — for the lifelong dream, to build on foundations of poverty, war, and strife — to become a united country ushering in its diamond anniversary on September 16, 2023.
As we celebrate the eve of Malaysia’s diamond anniversary, the accolades must go to a political survivor and warrior who belonged to the generation who orchestrated the birth of Sarawak.
On the brink of Sarawak’s adulthood, Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud stood by Malaysia’s largest of three conglomerates as it evolved from the backwaters to a 21st century modern metropolis.
A student of the Arts, he wanted to be a doctor to “save the suffering world” until he was convinced otherwise to become an administrator to guide the nation through three generations of strife — a British colonial regime on the verge of leaving its Southeast Asian possessions after the tumultuous Japanese war that exposed their dominance of world countries doomed to a fate of Third World status.
In his lifelong journey of 51 years as a political ombudsman and the last eight years as governor, statesman, guardian Taib has guided us well.
Taib was born in Miri on May 21, 1936, to Pengiran Mahmud Pengiran Haji Yahya and Wan Hamidah Yakub, both descendants of the Brunei sultanate. Taib’s paternal great grandfather was Pehin Dato Orang Kaya Setia Raja II Pengiran Manai, appointed as ‘governor’ of the region between Meludam and Baram by Sultan Abdul Momin.
Also known as ‘Awang Manei’, his great grandfather was one of the founding members of the General Council (Council Negri) and attended the second meeting of the Council in Sibu on June 15, 1868, during the reign of Charles Brooke.
His mother’s ancestry is traced to Kelantan royalty and Arab nobility.
During the war his father, a Sarawak Shell employee, moved the family to their ancestral home of Mukah, where he raised Taib, the oldest of 11 children.
After primary school in Miri, the 13-year-old Melanau student left for Kuching for his secondary education at St Joseph’s, a Catholic mission school.
In 1956, Taib won a Colombo Plan scholarship for tertiary education in Australia, enrolling as a law student at Adelaide University.
Upon graduating in 1960, he worked for a year under Justice Sir Herbert Mayo of South Australia, earning the distinction of being a judge associate.
On his return to Kuching a year later, he helped draft the new Sarawak Constitution when he was a Barrister and Deputy Public Prosecutor in the Sarawak government.
On July 22, 1963, Taib was sworn in as one of the six state cabinet ministers under Chief Minister Datuk Stephen Kalong Ningkan from the Sarawak National Party (SNAP).
It was a turbulent period when the Clandestine Communist Organisation (CCO) joined forces with Indonesia during Confrontation, leading to a 27-year insurgency.
Two years later in 1965, Taib challenged SNAP which wanted to change the native customary land (NCL) laws by pushing for a Land Bill.
Taib feared that if the Land Bill was passed it would have enabled rich non-natives to purchase NCL from the desperately poor natives, eventually relegating the natives to a ‘landless community’.
It was the beginning of Taib’s fall and he was forced to resign twice before being rescued by Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman and appointed to the federal cabinet in Kuala Lumpur.
After serving 13 years in 14 portfolios under three prime ministers — the Tunku, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein and Tun Hussein Onn — he returned to Kuching. Taib was appointed fourth chief minister of Sarawak on March 26, 1981, after he succeeded his uncle Tun Abdul Rahman Yakub.
During his tenure as chief minister, one of the first things he did was to introduce the Land Custody Development Authority (LCDA) Bill and establish Sarawak’s first Tourism Master Plan.
On August 1, 1988, Kuching was accorded city status followed by Miri and Sibu.
With the development of Kuching city’s waterfront, increase of international-class hotels and better facilities, Sarawak has become a major tourist destination.
In 1994, he established a Water Reserve Management Council to conserve, protect and develop water resources.
In his bid to make Kuching the centre for hi-tech industries, the 813-ha Sama Jaya Free Industry Zone was established, attracting a large number of investors and billions of dollars.
Through the food and agriculture sector, the Taib pushed through studies on potential food production zones to ensure the state is self-sufficient.
In 1998, Taib laid the foundation for a deep-sea fishing port in Tanjung Manis in Mukah Division, an integrated fishing project that will benefit about 13,000 fishermen.
As chairman of the Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation (STIDC) Tanjung Manis township covering 3,000ha, the government has invested billions to develop an industrial complex, airport, express terminal, administrative and commercial centres, educational and recreational facilities for the township to become a hub of aquaculture, palm oil timber processing and tourism.
In the 1980s, Taib introduced a concept which he called ‘Politics of Development’ to transform the mindset of the people while motivating people to better themselves economically in the midst of the rapid social changes.
Infrastructural changes included improving basic infrastructure with better roads, facilities and amenities, hospitals and clinics, schools, colleges, and the establishment of the state’s first local university, UNIMAS in the late 1990s which to date has produced at least 20,000 graduates.
By 2002 the state had 21 hospitals, 206 health centres and rural clinics, 35 maternity centres and close to 4,000 hospital beds as well as 800 doctors in the government and private sectors, 170 dentists and 3,500 nurses — a far cry from the early days.
On July 3, 2003, Taib laid the foundation stone for the Sarawak International Medical Centre (SIMC), located between UNIMAS and the biotechnology park.
In the field of education, Taib introduced land reforms that has benefited the natives through legal environmental legislations and safeguards to protect the state’s heritage.
Taib stepped down as chief minister on February 28, 2014 and became the Governor in March 2014.
Two months later in May he was bestowed the title of ‘Tun’, the country’s highest award.
As he completes his eighth year as governor, he can be proud to have left a legacy worthy of admiration.
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of New Sarawak Tribune.
