Taib Mahmud will be remembered as a respected statesman, says PM

PETALING JAYA: Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud will always be remembered as a respected statesman, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

The Prime Minister also expressed his deepest condolences to the family of Abdul Taib following the former governor's passing on Wednesday (Feb 21).

"On behalf of the Madani administration, I would like to extend my deepest condolences to Abdul Taib's family and the people of Sarawak.

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"Undoubtedly, we, especially the people of Sarawak, have lost a respected statesman.

"The services and dedication of the late Allahyarham to the country and Sarawak will always be remembered forever. Al-Fatihah," Anwar said in a social media post.

Abdul Taib, 87, passed away at a private hospital in Kuala Lumpur at 4.40am Wednesday.

Abdul Taib was the last surviving member of the first post-Independence state cabinet formed in 1963, when he was sworn in as the youngest Sarawak minister at the age of 27.

He also served as a federal minister in various capacities for 13 years, before his appointment as Sarawak's fourth chief minister on March 26, 1981.

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Abdul Taib was often described as the father of modern Sarawak.

As Sarawak's longest-serving chief minister from 1981 to 2014, he was instrumental in transforming Sarawak into a modern economy through what he called the "politics of development".

After stepping down as chief minister, Abdul Taib became the seventh Yang di-Pertua Negeri on Feb 28, 2014, succeeding Tun Abang Muhammad Salahuddin Abang Barieng.