SIBU: The passing of former governor Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud is a great loss not just to Sarawak but the whole country, says a state minister.
Women, Children and Community Wellbeing Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah said "a great leader of the country" had departed.
"(He was a leader) who laid a solid foundation for unity in diversity in Sarawak, and also spurred physical and spiritual development, and the empowerment of women," she said when contacted on Wednesday (Feb 21).
Fatimah also thanked Abdul Taib for bringing her into politics.
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Abdul Taib, who was also Sarawak's longest serving chief minister, passed away at a private hospital in Kuala Lumpur at 4.40am on Wednesday.
Julau MP Datuk Larry Sng said Abdul Taib's passing was a personal loss to him and his family and a very sad day for the state.
"He developed Sarawak to what it has become and for that we are indebted to him. May he rest in peace," said Sng, who entered politics at the age of 21 at Abdul Taib's urging to contest the Pelagus seat in the 2001 state polls.
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Chinese community leader Temenggong Datuk Vincent Lau described Abdul Taib as the father of development in the state.
"His demise is a great loss to Sarawak and the country as a whole as for 33 years when he was the chief minister, he contributed immensely to the development of the state and also ensured the stability of Sarawak," he said.
Lau said that under Abdul Taib, Sarawak had achieved racial harmony, "so to Sarawakians and the country, his passing is a great loss."
