Abdul Taib Mahmud

Yang Amat Berbahagia Tun Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud SMN DK I (Johor) DK II (Pahang) SBS PSM SPDK DP DA PGDK SUMW SSDK DGSM DPPN SPMB DK I (Brunei) AO
عبدالطيب محمود‎
Abdul Taib in 2022
7th Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak
In office 1 March 2014 – 26 January 2024
Premier	Abang Johari Openg
Chief Minister	See list Adenan Satem Abang Johari Openg
Preceded by	Abang Muhammad Salahuddin
Succeeded by	Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar
4th Chief Minister of Sarawak
In office 26 March 1981 – 28 February 2014
Governor	See list Abdul Rahman Ya'kub Ahmad Zaidi Adruce Abang Muhammad Salahuddin
Deputy	See list Sim Kheng Hong (1974–1991) Alfred Jabu Numpang (1976–2016)[1] Daniel Tajem (1979–1986) Wong Soon Kai (1991–1996) George Chan (1996–2011)
Preceded by	Abdul Rahman Ya'kub
Succeeded by	Adenan Satem
2nd and 4th President of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu
In office 26 March 1981 – 28 February 2014
BN chairman	See list Hussein Onn Mahathir Mohamad Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Mohd Najib Razak
Preceded by	Abdul Rahman Ya'kub
Succeeded by	Adenan Satem
In office October 1974 – 1976
Preceded by	Jugah Anak Barieng
Succeeded by	Abdul Rahman Ya'kub
Member of the Malaysian Parliament for Kota Samarahan
In office 1970 – 13 February 2008
Succeeded by	Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Taib
Member of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly for Balingian
In office 2001 – 28 February 2014
Preceded by	Abdul Ajis Abdul Majeed
Succeeded by	Yussibnosh Balo
Majority	5,154 (2011)
Member of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly for Asajaya
In office 1987–2001
Preceded by	New constituency
Succeeded by	Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah
Member of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly for Sebandi
In office 1981–1987
Succeeded by	Constituency abolished
Personal details
Born	Abdul Taib bin Mahmud (1936-05-21)21 May 1936 Miri, Raj of Sarawak (now Sarawak, Malaysia)
Died	21 February 2024(2024-02-21) (aged 87) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Political party	Barisan Rakayat Jati Sarawak (1963–1968) Parti Bumiputera Sarawak (1968–1973) Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (1973–2014)
Spouses	Lejla Chaleck ​ ​ (m. 1959; died 2009)​ Ragad Waleed Alkurdi ​ ​ (m. 2010⁠–⁠2024)​
Children	4 (including Sulaiman and Hanifah)
Residence(s)	Demak Jaya, Jalan Bako, Kuching, Sarawak
Alma mater	University of Adelaide (LLB)
Occupation	Politician prosecutor judge's associate
Signature

Abdul Taib bin Mahmud (Jawi: عبدالطيب بن محمود; 21 May 1936 – 21 February 2024) was a Malaysian politician who served as the seventh Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak from 2014 to 2024 and the fourth Chief Minister of Sarawak from 1981 to 2014.^[2] He is referred to as the Father of Modern Sarawak (Bapa Pemodenan Sarawak).^[3][4]

Born into a noble Melanau-Malay family, Taib embarked on his academic journey, earning his first degree in law from the University of Adelaide in 1960.^[5] There, he met Laila (née Lejla Chaleck), a Polish woman of Lipka Tatar descent who embraced the Muslim faith.^[6] They married the previous year and had four children, including Sulaiman and Hanifah. Upon graduation, they returned to Sarawak, and Taib began his career as a prosecutor at the Crown Council Law Office. His foray into politics began in 1963 when he was appointed the state's Minister of Communications and Public Works by Chief Minister Stephen Kalong Ningkan.^[7] His political works deepened in 1964 when he assumed the role of vice chairman of Barisan Rakyat Jati Sarawak (BERJASA) party.^[7] He then served as state Minister of Development and Forestry under Tawi Sli in 1967.^[7] Taib then transitioned to federal politics, securing a seat as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Kota Samarahan in 1970. Over the course of his parliamentary career spanning from 1968 to 1981, Taib held multiple ministerial portfolios under Prime Ministers Tunku Abdul Rahman, Abdul Razak Hussein, Hussein Onn and Mahathir Mohamad.

In 1981, Taib returned to Sarawak and became its chief minister, succeeding his uncle Abdul Rahman Ya'kub. Throughout his leadership, accusations of corruption and allegations of personal gain from Sarawak's abundant natural resources marred his reputation. However, Taib's administration was also credited with significantly reducing the state's poverty rate from 70 percent to single-digit figures. He was informally known as Pak Uban, which translates to 'White-haired Uncle.' Among Chinese-speaking communities, he was referred to as Pek Moh, meaning 'white hair.'^[8][9] Another informal appellation for him, stemming from the British Brooke family's rule over Sarawak as White Rajahs in the 19th and early 20th centuries, was the 'last white rajah' or 'white-haired rajah.'^[10]

In 2008, after nearly four decades in Parliament, Taib relinquished his role as an MP, making him the second longest-serving parliamentarian in Malaysia.^[11] The following year, Laila died following a prolonged battle with heart cancer. Taib then married a Syrian-born woman, Ragad Waleed Alkurdi. Subsequently, in 2014, he stepped down as Chief Minister and was succeeded by Adenan Satem.^[12] His tenure, spanning an unprecedented 33 years, earned him the distinction of being the longest-serving head of government in a Malaysian state. Taib was then appointed the seventh Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak, from 2014 until 2024. Shortly afterwards, he died just over 3 weeks after leaving office.