Najib praises Taib Mahmud for developing Sarawak

Datuk Seri Najib Razak today praised Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud for developing Sarawak during his tenure as chief minister, saying Taib was successful in transforming the state as one of the most prosperous in the country.

Bernama quoted the prime minister as saying in a statement that he truly believed that the modern Sarawak of today was the culmination of Taib's significant contribution, both in economic progress and in fostering unity.

Najib (pic) said Taib, who is now Yang Di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak, had been instrumental in uniting Sarawak's multi-ethnic society.

This was due to his deep conviction that the only way for the state to progress was through cooperation among the different ethnic groups.

Bernama quoted him as saying that one could see how the 1Malaysia concept was being practiced in Sarawak and how the country as a whole can emulate the success of the concept in the state.

Najib added that as chief minister, Taib was able to dramatically improve the standard of living and quality of life of the people by providing them with opportunities in education, generating more job opportunities and building a robust environment for businesses to thrive.

But, during his 33-year tenure as chief minister, Taib also had his fair share of controversy.

One of his staunchest critics is Swiss-based rainforest advocacy group, Bruno Manser Fund (BMF).

The Malaysian Insider reported that BMF will release a book accusing Taib of environmental crimes and his family of amassing wealth from deforestation will be launched in Japan on November 3.

Authored by BMF executive director Lukas Straumann, “Money Logging: On the Trail of the Asian Timber Mafia” details how Taib allegedly amassed profits up to US$15 billion (RM49 billion) with the complicity of global financial institutions. – October 22, 2014.