ANALYSIS While Abdul Taib Mahmud’s reign over Sarawak as the chief minister for 33 years will finally come to an end later this month, his political influence could very well continue for years to come.
If Taib is appointed as the state governor, there are no limitations on how long he could hold the post - as long as his four-year tenure is repeatedly renewed by the Sarawak chief minister, with the consent of the Agong.
In this case, it seems imperative that the CM be someone who would still be favoured by Taib personally, and the choice of Adenan Satem, his former brother-in-law, as the new CM could guarantee the governor’s post for Taib for life.
Ahmad Zaidi Adruce, the fifth Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak, lasted a good 15 years in his post until his death in 2001. Taib, who is 78, could follow his example and die in office.
“Despite the fact that it is the Agong’s discretion (to appoint the governor) after consulting the relevant CM, the practice has been that the Agong is just doing what the politicians - at the centre (federal) and the state - say,” constitutional expert Abdul Aziz Bari told Malaysiakini.
“So given Taib's 33 years at the helm, he may be doing the same thing from a different place,” he said.
This means that Taib will likely be immune from prosecution should the authorities decide to act on the slew of allegations of corruption and abuse of power against the Sarawak strongman. He is currently being probed by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC)
Abdul Aziz also said that Taib would be stronger as a governor compared to his uncle, Abdul Rahman Ya’kub, who also took over the governor’s post after passing the chief minister mantle to Taib in 1981.
Despite influencing the state administration as a governor for four years, preceded by 11 years as chief minister, Abdul Rahman eventually quit as governor in 1986, citing health reasons.
“But we never know, Rahman thought he would be able to continue his business but somehow the nephew got a different idea and the latter sprang a surprise (and work against him), though they have now patched up,” Abdul Aziz said, referring to the rift between Taib and Abdul Rahman that peaked with the 1987 Ming Court affair.
In the feud between uncle and nephew over, among others, timber concessions for their respective cronies, Taib survived a no-confidence motion instigated by Abdul Rahman by calling for snap state polls and managed to retain power and strengthening his grip on Sarawak.
Governor’s power
The governor can be sacked with a two-thirds majority vote in the Sarawak state assembly, but this has never happened before.
Even though the governor’s office is largely a “ceremonial” one, Abdul Aziz said much of the influence of this role depends on the holder of the position.
“As of now, I don't think the people know much about the governor’s office - to them, it is just a puppet,” he said, while adding that this was not what the Reid Commission had envisaged when drafting the country’s constitution.
“This is understandable given the governor has the same powers - like the Agong and the sultans - when it comes to appointing the government and dissolving the House,” he added.
While there is no precedence for the governor in using his powers to dissolve the assembly or to sack the chief minister in the state, the governor is well within his rights to do so.
The only restriction for the governor’s post in terms of powers in the state is the inability to be directly involved in commercial activities.
But whether this has any direct implication on Taib’s alleged personal wealth, which has been linked to the exploitation of state resources, remains to be seen.
For Dr Jeniri Amir, a political analyst and senior lecturer from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas), the impact of Taib’s resignation and his handing over of the baton to Adenan is clear - very little changes are expected in the state.
“It’s business as usual,” he said.
If Taib is appointed as the state governor, there are no limitations on how long he could hold the post - as long as his four-year tenure is repeatedly renewed by the Sarawak chief minister, with the consent of the Agong.
In this case, it seems imperative that the CM be someone who would still be favoured by Taib personally, and the choice of Adenan Satem, his former brother-in-law, as the new CM could guarantee the governor’s post for Taib for life.
Ahmad Zaidi Adruce, the fifth Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak, lasted a good 15 years in his post until his death in 2001. Taib, who is 78, could follow his example and die in office.
“Despite the fact that it is the Agong’s discretion (to appoint the governor) after consulting the relevant CM, the practice has been that the Agong is just doing what the politicians - at the centre (federal) and the state - say,” constitutional expert Abdul Aziz Bari told Malaysiakini.“So given Taib's 33 years at the helm, he may be doing the same thing from a different place,” he said.
This means that Taib will likely be immune from prosecution should the authorities decide to act on the slew of allegations of corruption and abuse of power against the Sarawak strongman. He is currently being probed by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC)
Abdul Aziz also said that Taib would be stronger as a governor compared to his uncle, Abdul Rahman Ya’kub, who also took over the governor’s post after passing the chief minister mantle to Taib in 1981.
Despite influencing the state administration as a governor for four years, preceded by 11 years as chief minister, Abdul Rahman eventually quit as governor in 1986, citing health reasons.“But we never know, Rahman thought he would be able to continue his business but somehow the nephew got a different idea and the latter sprang a surprise (and work against him), though they have now patched up,” Abdul Aziz said, referring to the rift between Taib and Abdul Rahman that peaked with the 1987 Ming Court affair.
In the feud between uncle and nephew over, among others, timber concessions for their respective cronies, Taib survived a no-confidence motion instigated by Abdul Rahman by calling for snap state polls and managed to retain power and strengthening his grip on Sarawak.
Governor’s power
The governor can be sacked with a two-thirds majority vote in the Sarawak state assembly, but this has never happened before.
Even though the governor’s office is largely a “ceremonial” one, Abdul Aziz said much of the influence of this role depends on the holder of the position.
“As of now, I don't think the people know much about the governor’s office - to them, it is just a puppet,” he said, while adding that this was not what the Reid Commission had envisaged when drafting the country’s constitution.
“This is understandable given the governor has the same powers - like the Agong and the sultans - when it comes to appointing the government and dissolving the House,” he added.While there is no precedence for the governor in using his powers to dissolve the assembly or to sack the chief minister in the state, the governor is well within his rights to do so.
The only restriction for the governor’s post in terms of powers in the state is the inability to be directly involved in commercial activities.
But whether this has any direct implication on Taib’s alleged personal wealth, which has been linked to the exploitation of state resources, remains to be seen.
For Dr Jeniri Amir, a political analyst and senior lecturer from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas), the impact of Taib’s resignation and his handing over of the baton to Adenan is clear - very little changes are expected in the state.
“It’s business as usual,” he said.
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