'A great anak Sarawak' has left us, Deputy Premier says of the late Taib Mahmud

KUCHING: Sarawak has lost "a great anak Sarawak" with the passing of former Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud, says Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian.

The Sarawak Deputy Premier expressed his condolences to Abdul Taib's family in a Facebook post on Wednesday (Feb 21).

"Thirty-three years of (Taib's) chief ministership resulted in not just political stability but social and religious harmony in Sarawak.

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"Apart from politics of development in Sarawak, Tun's legacy is Sarawak-based political parties governing Sarawak rather than letting (peninsula-based parties) come to Sarawak," he said.

Dr Sim paid tribute to Abdul Taib as the political partner and friend of his late father Tan Sri Sim Kheng, chairman of the Sarawak Heart Foundation.

He said Abdul Taib was the main initiator responsible for relocating cardiac services from the Sarawak General Hospital here to the Sarawak Heart Centre in Kota Samarahan.

"After (Taib's wife) Puan Sri Laila passed away in 2009, Tun took over the chairmanship of the foundation and always focused on how to help the cardiac services at the Sarawak Heart Centre and the patients.

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"I learnt a lot from Tun's strategy planning during board meetings over the years," he said.

Dr Sim also recalled how Abdul Taib used to share his vision for Sarawak and gave him advice after becoming governor in 2014.

In particular, he remembered Abdul Taib's advice not to listen to what a person said but to study their character instead.

"He used to tell me, 'Many people come to me saying bad things about you. I told them, I've known Dr Sim since he was little. Have you known him as long?'

"Thanks for all your contributions to Sarawak, Tun," he wrote.