KUCHING, Feb 8 — Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar today expressed his appreciation to his predecessor Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud for his immense contribution to Sarawak.
He said Taib’s contributions have played a pivotal role in the holistic development of Sarawak throughout his political career.
“As the revered ‘Father of Modern Sarawak’, I appreciate the sacrifice he made from the date he joined the Sarawak Cabinet in 1963 until he graciously passed the baton to (the late) Pehin Sri Adenan Satem in 2014.
“In an extraordinary span of 51 years of government service, both at the federal level and later assumed the top leadership of Sarawak in 1981, Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud not only personified but became synonymous with Sarawak’s remarkable development.
“He laid a firm foundation stone to make Sarawak as one of the most politically stable and economically viable regions in Malaysia today,” said Wan Junaidi in his Chinese New Year message.
“My sincere prayers to Allah S.A.W for Tun Pehin Sri Taib’s well-being, and with utmost gratitude and respect, I extend my heartfelt wishes for a peaceful and fulfilling retirement for him.”
Taib, 87, was Sarawak chief minister from 1981 until 2014, making him the longest serving chief minister in Malaysia.
After stepping down in 2014, he was appointed the seventh Yang di-Pertua Negeri in the same year until his retirement on January 25 this year. — Borneo Post
