Dramatic decline of a strongman

Taib Mahmud was once the most powerful man in Sarawak, but at age 85, he is fighting for his life on a hospital bed while his children and their stepmother fight over his wealth.

THE sun has long set on the political career of Tun Taib Mahmud, but who could have imagined that the final stage of the former Sarawak governor and chief minister’s life journey would be playing out publicly in such dramatic fashion?

Once the most powerful man in Sarawak – and arguably the richest too – Taib, 87, is lying helpless in a hospital bed, being treated for undisclosed ailments as rumours swirl about the feud between his biological children and his glamorous Syrian-born wife Toh Puan Raghad Kurdi Taib, 44.

Taib’s situation made the headlines, sparking accusations of an “abduction” when Raghad suddenly transferred him from a private hospital in Kuching in the middle of the night to their private residence on the outskirts of the city.

Taib, who was then in the intensive care unit, was apparently taken out against the advice of doctors, and members of his family immediately lodged police reports, saying it was done without their knowledge and could harm his health.

Raghad reacted by urging people not to believe the rumours and said she had her husband’s health and interest at heart.

It was all quite sensational, almost like a K-drama unfolding in Kuching.

For several days, no one could figure out what was going on until Inspector-general of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Ismail stepped in to dismiss claims of an abduction and clarified that Taib was being treated at a hospital in Kuala Lumpur.

The Sarawak elite, especially those close to Taib, are saddened that it has come to this. They are appalled that the man’s personal troubles have become the subject of gossip.

“It’s an unfortunate end to an era,” said a Sarawak politician whose career began at the same time as Taib’s.

Unfortunately, there is quite little sympathy among ordinary people.

“People say it is karma. It is pitiful this is happening in his twilight years,” said political analyst Datuk Dr Jeniri Amir, the only academic who dared to criticise Taib at the height of his power.

Taib’s 33 years as chief minister were controversial, marked by his imperious political style and marred by allegations of cronyism, land grabs and wealth accumulation.

At the same time, he changed Sarawak and stood his ground on the multicultural tolerance that is today the pride of all Sarawakians and which his successor Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg intends to continue.

“We are thankful he never allowed Umno to come in or else we would have problems like you all over there.

“Stories of his wealth are a matter of speculation, but the more crazy the story, the more people seem to believe it,” said lawyer and Chinese community leader Datuk Jonathan Chai.

Both Taib and Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad rose to power at about the same time in the early 1980s.

A politician-cum-close friend of Taib was at a meeting in which Taib told the then-prime minister that Barisan Nasional would have his full support if Umno stayed out of Sarawak. Both men kept their word.

Speculation about Taib’s declining health began not long after he became governor.

Those who met him in recent years found him to be forgetful, often appearing confused and asking the same question again and again. He once told a state minister whom he was rather fond of and whose parents had passed on, to send them his regards.

In 2022, Jeniri was among a group of people conferred state awards by Taib, after which all of them posed for the camera. Midway through the photography session, Taib suddenly left to use the toilet and never returned.

As governor, Taib was entitled to a month of leave a year, but he and his wife spent quite a bit of time in Istanbul. They only returned to Kuching late last year, around the time when talk of appointing a new governor started.

Taib was unable to carry out his duties in the past one year and a top Sarawak leader who flew to Istanbul to see him went away in tears on seeing his condition.

Sarawak politicians are generally thankful that as governor, Taib, did not give Abang Johari any problems.

But many Sarawakians are outraged that Raghad and her two sons from her previous marriages were granted native status, which gave them access to native land.

Public opinion turned against Raghad in a horrible way. It was seen as an abuse of the law, an insult to the natives and locals began calling her “that foreigner”, the point being they do not see how a foreigner can be deemed a Sarawak native.

Videos of a handsome young man wiping his mouth with euro notes while having a burger also went viral. Allegations that it is one of her sons have yet to be denied.

However, accounts that Taib’s children and siblings are prevented from seeing him in hospital are untrue. A close relative confirmed they have access to him in the hospital while his daughter and son who reside overseas have returned to be with their father.

Relations between Taib’s biological children and their stepmother crumbled years ago and they are suing Raghad over the ownership of Rm500mil in shares of the family-held development conglomerate Cahya Mata Sarawak Bhd.

Politician and lawyer Robert Lau, who had just left to study abroad when Taib came to power, said Taib came from an era of strongman politics.

“He had his own brand of development which, mixed with our rich natural resources, became quite toxic. History will judge him in a mixed way. But the loss of privacy at his most vulnerable moment, it is such an inglorious thing to happen,” said Lau.

The above close friend of Taib hasthistosay:“ionlywishhewill be comfortable and at peace.”