KUCHING: Tan Sri Abang Abu Bakar Abang Mustapha, a former politician, passed away yesterday (Dec 4).
At the age of 82, he breathed his last at National Heart Institute (IJN) in Kuala Lumpur at 9.55am.
The deceased youngest son, Tunku Abang Faisal Amir Abang Abu Bakar informed that the body of his late father was flown to Kuching for the funeral prayer at the Kuching Divisional Mosque before being laid to rest.
In the first cabinet of the former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Abang Abu Bakar held the positions of Deputy Minister of Defence and subsequently the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department from 1990 to 1999, before serving as the Minister of Defence from 1999 to 2003.
The son of the late Datuk Bandar Mustapha, also held the role as the deputy president of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) from 1988 to 1998.
Abang Abu Bakar was also an assemblyman for Kuching West then from 1973 to 1981 and also represented Satok constituency from 1979 to 1981.
His political journey included being a Member of Parliament for Paloh from 1981 to 1990 and later representing Kuala Rajang from 1990 to 2000.
He was also a member of the Sarawak Native Chamber of Commerce and the Sarawak Muslim Welfare Association.
Abang Abu Bakar received his primary education at St Thomas School in Kuching and secondary education at the Malay College in Kuala Kangsar.
Later, he continued his studies at the King’s College in Warrnambool, Australia, the University of Adelaide in South Australia, the Inner Temple in London, and the International Management Centre and obtained a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in 1990.
Abang Abu Bakar is survived by his wife, Puan Sri Tunku Maziah Tunku Mustapha, a daughter and two twin boys.
