Taib to be the CM of Sarawak for another 27 years

Taib to be the CM of Sarawak for another 27 years

Sunday, April 6, 2008 at 8:59 AM Posted by MD

From 1981 until 2008, Taib has been the Chief Minister of Sarawak for 27 years. There is no sign of him quiting even though he is turning 72 this May. The report in Bernama merely indicates that he hinted for retirement, which he has many times hinted before. So it's just another hint, what?

What has he achieved during this 27 years? More like a 20 years behind Semanjung Malaysia progress, as far as Sarawakians are concerned. Personally, he has created an empire in business monopoly in Sarawak that even Mahathir or Badawi are envious of.

Semanjung Malaysia with oil money from Sabah and Sarawak, have super highways, world's tallest towers and countless mega projects. What does Sarawak have to show off ? Maybe the popularity of Kek Lapis and Laksa.

How about political development? Well, Taib has done a good job in divide and conquer the majority Dayaks. Dayaks are now so disunited that you can find them in PBB, SUPP, SPDP, PRS, SNAP, STAR and even PKR. SPDP and PRS are mosquito component parties of BN. SNAP and STAR are toothless opposition parties. In PBB and SUPP, the best position for the Dayaks are being the deputies and assistants.

How about job opportunities? Well, Taib manage to export all brainy Sarawakians to earn living at Semanjung Malaysia and even nearby Singapore or Brunei. Even the lowly educated Dayaks are being laborers and factory operators in Johor. Why export the Sarawakian workforce? Because there are no job opportunities in Sarawak.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Extracted from: bernama.com (Apr 05, 2008)

Nation's Longest Serving CM Hints About Retiring

KUCHING, April 5 (Bernama) -- The nation's longest serving Chief Minister, Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud Saturday hinted that he will be retiring from politics in the next few years as he was getting older.

"My grandchildren call me nenenda, my children call me ayahanda. That makes me realise I am getting older and it is time for me to step down from politics," said Taib, who became Sarawak's fourth chief minister in 1981.

Taib, who turns 72 in May this year, was speaking at the thanksgiving ceremony for his son, Datuk Seri Sulaiman Abdul Rahman and the Barisan Nasional (BN) in Kota Samarahan parliamentary constituency, as well as the latter's appointment as Deputy Minister of Tourism, in Asajaya near here.

In the March 8 general election, he did not seek re-election to the Kota Samarahan parliamentary seat and has instead entrusted Sulaiman to defend it for the BN.

In thanking the voters for supporting Sulaiman in the recent polls, Taib, who is also Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) president said, some 90 percent of the population there were poor back in 1970 when he was first elected as the MP in the area. "In those days, those who have 10 shirts were already considered as very rich. So our struggle was very clear then, that we have to transform our people so that they too can enjoy the benefits of independence," he recalled.

He also advised the second echelon leaders who had not seen actual poverty not to forget the original struggle of the party, to uplift the people's living standard especially in the rural areas, and the contribution of its founding members.

“In those days when we campaigned during the election, we had to walk on foot, but now it is so much easier because you can drive as most of them (areas) are reachable by road," he said.

Later when asked by reporters to comment on the result of the election, he said, it was a simple majority for the BN, which also saw it winning 30 out of the 31 parliamentary seats in Sarawak.

"The Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) has a good mandate and we will continue to support him," he said.

-- BERNAMA