CM empire to the next generation

Oh no, not him as CM!

Honeymah Dylyani
Friday, 04 December 2009 19:47

KUCHING – He reportedly has a flamboyant lifestyle that draws the attention of his friends and others who know him but Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Taib is seldom in the news for the job he does for the Tourism Ministry.

Stories from the grapevine suggest that he has been asked to return to Sarawak where he would be groomed as a successor to his father, long-serving chief minister Abdul Taib Mahmud.

However, said other sources, if Taib had wanted his son to step into his shoes to lead the state he would have offered him to stand as a state representative at the last state elections in 2006.


Instead, Taib chose to vacate his Samarahan parliamentary seat to make way for Sulaiman, 40, a San Franciscan graduate with a BSc degree in Business Administration.

Taib himself had said before the March 2008 parliamentary election in Sarawak that he did not want his son to stand in a state seat for the simple reason that people would speculate he would be his (Taib’s) successor as CM.

“He has to prove himself as Sulaiman Abdul Rahman and not as Taib Junior,'' the senior politician, 72, had reportedly told a gathering of prospective parliamentary candidates at his Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) headquarters just before nomination day in the 2008 elections.

The next election to select the 71 representatives of the Sarawak state assembly is due in May 2011.

Not surprising if he later becomes CM

In Sarawak politics, it is not surprising to see Sulaiman becoming a state minister and later following his father's footsteps to become CM," said Sarawak PKR vice-secretary (communication) Zulhaidah Suboh.

But due to his ineffectiveness as a deputy minister, I personally feel he is not credible enough to lead the people of Sarawak,” she said.

“I hope the people of Sarawak, regardless of their ethnic group, will get their share of the state’s development and not just the cronies of those in power,” she added.

She said most people in the state would prefer Abang Johari Abang Openg, currently one of the state's deputy chief ministers, to succeed Taib as CM.

“But then, we will only know what will happen only when he is in that position,” she said.

Zulhaidah, who is also PKR Miri vice-chairman, added: “I feel Johari is a good man. But, of course, he has to first defend his position in the ruling party.”

Passing the baton

“We have seen many leaders who were perceived to be ‘good leaders’ before they were elected. Then, when they are in power, they prove to be no better – sometimes worse – than their predecessors.”

Sarawak DAP chairman Wong Hong Leng said many people in Sarawak are hoping Taib will pass the baton to Johari.

“He is a nice man and well-received by the opposition here,” he said, hoping that Johari would give ‘more space’ for the opposition to voice out the people’s grouses.

However, Wong said he does not believe that Sulaiman had resigned from his Federal post because he had been promised a new position in the state.

“But, if that happens it would be a shame to have a person with such a lukewarm performance,” he added, criticizing Sulaiman as having been “an effective deputy minister.”

“We hardly hear anything from him regarding his ministry, whether about Sarawak or the nation.

“In this respect, I feel he has not performed his duty well. As a chief minister? Maybe, worse.”

Wong said most people in Sarawak do not want to see the CM’s post being inherited. “We have had too much of Taib already. Furthermore, Sulaiman does not have the stature of a chief minister yet,” he added.

'Invisible man' in politics

Wong (left) lamented that despite being rich in natural resources, Sarawak ranks fourth in poverty and was 20 years behind peninsular Malaysia in infrastructure development.

He claimed there was inequality in the civil service and many communities in the state are being turned into dams.

Sarawak PAS Youth chief Mohd Arifiriazul Paijo said Sulaiman is an 'invisible' figure in Malaysian politics.

"How can he be a good deputy minister if he is not visible in the political scene? Furthermore, what is his contribution? I say none.

Arifiriazul said it was possible for Sulaiman to become a state minister but doubted he would have the support, except from his father and Taib's cronies.

"I am not saying that he is not eligible because he is Taib's son. But his performance as a deputy minister speaks for itself.

“As for Johari, I can only said he is a good man and a much better candidate than Sulaiman." - Malaysian Mirror