KUCHING: The Sarawak government has declared a two-day mourning period today and tomorrow (Feb 22).
According to a press statement from the Sarawak government flags should be flown at half-mast throughout Sarawak during the official mourning period.
“It is with deep sorrow that the former Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak, Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, passed away at approximately 4.40 am this morning.
“The remains of Taib are expected to arrive this afternoon at 3.30 pm at Kuching International Airport from Kuala Lumpur and will be taken directly to his residence in Demak Jaya, Jalan Bako.
“Taib’s remains will be brought to the new State Legislative Assembly (Dewan Undangan Negeri) complex on Thursday (Feb 22), where the public can pay their final respects from 8 am to 11.30am,” said the statement from the Sarawak Public Communication Unit (UKAS).
The late Taib will be taken to the nearby Masjid Demak for prayers before being laid to rest and accorded full state burial rites at the family cemetery in Demak Jaya.
“Any official events involving entertainment should be postponed. Mosques and places of worship are encouraged to hold prayer sessions,” it said.
The Sarawak government extends its condolences to the entire family of the late Tun Pehin Sri.
Serving three terms as the Governor of Sarawak from March 1, 2014, until Jan 26 of this year, he left an indelible mark on the state’s political landscape.
His legacy includes an unprecedented 33-year tenure as Sarawak’s chief minister, from 1981 to 2014, making him the longest-serving head of government in Malaysian state history.
He assumed the role of chief minister when he was 45 years old in 1981, shaping the course of Sarawak’s development.
On Feb 12, 2014, he submitted his resignation letter, marking the end of his tenure as chief minister.
Taib Mahmud married Datuk Amar Laila Taib in 1959. She passed away in 2009 due to cancer. They had four children — Jamilah Hamidah Taib, Datuk Seri Mahmud Abu Bekir Taib, Datuk Seri Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Taib, and Datuk Hanifah Hajar Taib.
On Dec 18, 2010, at the age of 74, he married again for the second time to Toh Puan Ragad Kurdi Taib.
