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Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud resigns, proposes former brother-in-law Adenan Satem as his successor

Sarawak natives about to miss historic opportunity to get another Dayak Chief Minister or Governor

(KUCHING, MALAYSIA) Sarawak’s Dayak community is about to miss a historic opportunity to have a non-muslim native elected as next Chief Minister of Sarawak.

In a surprise move, long-term Chief Minister Taib Mahmud today tendered his resignation and named his former brother-in-law, 70-year old Adenan Satem, as his desired successor. Adenan, like Taib Mahmud an Adelaide-trained-lawyer-turned- politician, is a former federal minister and currently serving as Sarawak state minister with Special Functions. Adenan is a Kuching-born Malay and was formerly married to Taib’s younger sister Zainab Mahmud.

Adenan Satem’s choice as the likely next Chief Minister can hardly satisfy Sarawak’s non-muslim native community who have not seen a Dayak Chief Minister since 1970, when Taib Mahmud’s uncle, Rahman Ya’kub, became head of government.

When Sarawak became part of Malaysia in 1963, a political compromise saw an Iban, Stephen Kalong Ningkan, become Chief Minister while the office of Governor was held by a Malay. Ningkan was ousted in 1966 in a coup orchestrated by Taib Mahmud and his uncle with support from Malaysia’s federal government. Subsequently, Tawi Sli, a more compliant Iban representative, was installed as Ningkan’s successor

Surprisingly, none of the Sarawak political parties have hitherto claimed the office of Chief Minister or Governor to be reserved for a Dayak and gave Taib Mahmud a free hand in designing his succession in a way that is likely to allow him to continue to pull the strings from behind the scenes.

The new Chief Minister will have to be confirmed by the State Assembly, which is controlled by the Barisan Nasional coalition. Taib Mahmud intends to become Governor, an office that is supposedly linked to immunity from criminal prosecution.

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