From Mohamad Syazwan Mustafa
JAKARTA, Feb 21 (Bernama) -- Sarawak Media Group director who is also chief executive officer of Suara Sarawak and New Sarawak Tribune Datuk Dr Jeniri Amir described Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud as a charismatic leader who deserves to be called Sarawak’s Father of Modernisation.
As a political analyst and a key critic who is very close to Abdul Taib, Jeniri said that Abdul Taib’s vision and strategic thinking had successfully guided the direction of leadership, stabilised politics, and united the people of Sarawak.
“He brought about changes in various fields in Sarawak which also created opportunities for education, and employment, and facilitated socio-economic and educational mobility, progressing individuals from rural to urban areas.
“It can be said that Abdul Taib was the ‘One and Only One’ in terms of politics, and it’s going to be recorded not only in Sarawak but also in Malaysia’s politics because, since 1963, he was already appointed a Cabinet Minister in Sarawak,” he told Bernama here today.
Furthermore, Jeniri said that the transformation of development in Sarawak across various sectors such as infrastructure, economy, finance, social, religion, education, agriculture, and industry was part of Abdul Taib’s legacy.
“He developed Sarawak from a backward state to a developing state and was able to reduce the state’s poverty rate from 70 per cent to about 20 per cent.
“I think he deserves to be given the title not only as the Father of Development but also as the Father and Architect of Modernisation in Sarawak because he managed to transform Sarawak into its modernised state. This is his legacy,” he said.
Jeniri said among other legacies that Abdul Taib left behind was political stability in Sarawak which contributed to the political stability in Malaysia, and the unity among the people in Sarawak.
The former Sarawak Governor and Chief Minister died at a hospital in Kuala Lumpur at 4.40 am today.
His remains were taken to the National Mosque for the funeral rites before being brought back to Kuching for burial.
-- BERNAMA
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