Tun Abdul Rahman Yakub passes away at 87

KUCHING: Tun Datuk Patinggi Abdul Rahman Yakub passed away Friday, Jan 9, at 9.34pm at Normah Medical Specialist Centre (NMSC) where he had been hospitalised since Dec 15, 2014.
He was 87 years old.

Tun Abdul Rahman Yakub – filephoto
The former Chief Minister of Sarawak was of Melanau descent and also served as the fourth Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak.
Born in Kampung Jepak, Bintulu, on January 3, 1928 to fisherman Wan Yakub Wan Yusuf and housewife Siti Hajar Tahir, he was the sixth of seven children.
His grandfather, Wan Yusof, hailed from Kelantan and was the son-in law to Pehin Orang Kaya Setia Raja Abang Manai, a Melanau community leader who was also a member of the state legislative council under Charles Brooke Rule in 1867.
Abdul Rahman first attended Sekolah Anchi in Miri, later transferring to St Joseph, Miri until his studies were interrupted by the Japanese invasion. During the Japanese occupation from 1941 to 1943, he was an assistant surveyor and interpreter for the Japanese governor in Miri.
After the Second World War, he completed his primary school education and worked as a trainee oil-tester for Sarawak Shell Company in Lutong before being accepted as a Student Native Officer in the Sarawak Civil Service from 1947 to 1948.
In 1953, he was given study leave with full pay by the colonial government to pursue his education at St Joseph’s School in Kuching. He achieved excellent Senior Cambridge results and was offered a scholarship to read Law at Southampton University, England in 1954 and thereafter at Lincoln’s Inn. He was called to the Lincoln’s Inn Bar in 1959 and became the first Bumiputera from Sarawak to be a Barrister-at-law.
After graduating, he was appointed as a Crown Council Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) and stipendiary magistrate. He worked in the Sarawak Legal Department from 1959 to 1963.

The first Prime Minister of Malaysia Tunku Abdul Rahman brought Abdul Rahman into politics while the second Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak mentored him.
From 1963-65, he was the Deputy Minister for National and Rural Development and concurrently the Deputy Minister for Law.
Abdul Rahman served as the Deputy Minister for Lands and Mines from 1965-69 before being appointed as education minister. Under his tenure, he changed the medium of instruction for all schools and higher learning institutions from English to Malay language.
He was credited for the creation of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) in 1970.
He was also one of the proponents for Malaysia creating its own oil company, now known as Petronas.
He founded the now defunct Bank Utama Berhad in Malaysia.
Abdul Rahman won the Kuala Rajang state seat during the resumption of the 1969 state election in 1970 representing Parti Bumiputra Sarawak (BUMIPUTERA) which was part of the Sarawak Alliance. The election results did not yield any party with a clear majority. Abdul Rahman was able to convince SUPP to form a coalition government with him as the chief minister.
Three years after his appointment as chief minister, negotiations between Abdul Rahman and Bong Kee Chok culminated in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the two on October 20, 1973, at Rumah Kerajaan, Simanggang (renamed Rumah Sri Aman thereafter.)

AMICABLE TERMS: The signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding between then Chief Minister, Rahman and Bong, director and political commissar of PARAKU at Rumah Sri Aman, Simanggang.

Post by Tun Abdul Rahman Yakub.

Bong signed as Director and Political Commissar of PARAKU; Abdul Rahman signed as Ketua Menteri and Director of Operations, Sarawak. It heralded the beginning of the end of the communist insurgency in Sarawak.
He was responsible for setting up several statutory bodies to speed up development in the state across a wide range of fields, including the State Planning Unit. Sarawak’s five administration divisions from the Brooke era were redefined into seven to bring about greater administrative efficiency.
He did away with the primary six common entrance examination, enabling all primary six pupils to continue their education to secondary levels. He also set up the Universiti Pertanian campus in Bintulu and a branch of Mara Institute of Technology in Sarawak.
In addition, he also established the Sarawak Foundation (Yayasan Sarawak) on May 21, 1971 to provide scholarships and educational loans to students in need.
A new bridge costing RM6 million was built in May 1975 creating a link between what we recognise today as two administrative divisions – MBKS and DBKU and was named “Jambatan Datuk Patinggi Haji Abdul Rahman Yakub”.
The State Secretariat and the Dewan Undangan Negeri Building were sited at Petra Jaya, making it the administrative centre of the state.
He stepped down on March 26, 1981 as chief minister after undergoing heart surgery in London. He became Governor of Sarawak from April 2, 1981 until April 2, 1985 before quitting due to health reasons. He was awarded Seri Maharaja Mangku Negara that carries the title ‘Tun’.
When he was a federal minister and later chief minister, he received several awards: the Order of the Star of Merit (Korea), the Order of the Star of Ethiopia (The Grand Cordon), Bintang Mahaputra Indonesia among others.

He married Toh Puan Normah Abdullah nee Rosemary Soon Siew Joon in 1956. She was his ‘tower of strength’, always supporting him and giving him confidence to move forward until her passing in 1984.
His later years saw him devoting his time to reading, writing and religious teachings at his own Surau Sri Bahagia with the tremendous assistance of his wife Toh Puan Hayati Ahmat, whom he lived with until his demise.
His other wives surviving him are Zambin Rokiah Mohd Tahir and Siti Maemunah Kamal, both residing in Kuala Lumpur.
He was blessed with 12 daughters, four sons, 47 grandchildren, seven great grandchildren and three adopted children.

Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2015/01/09/tun-abdul-rahman-yakub-passes-away-at-87/#ixzz3OOxJTdxT

Sarawak’s paper millionaires

KUCHING: The Sarawak government claims that they have created 2,000 millionaires through the new Native Customary Rights concept but detractors say they are “paper millionaires”

Sarawak PKR chairman Baru Bian says that they are only paper millionaires.

He was refuting claims by assistant minister in the Chief Minister’s Office (Bumiputera Entrepreneur Development) Mohd Naroden Majais’ statement that 2,000 participant in the NCR exercise were now millionaires.

Naroden had said that through the NCR land development and new concept through JV, about 2,000 landowners who have 50 acres and above now are holding assets worth a million ringgit.

“Therefore, we can say that the scheme has created not less than 2,000 rural Bumiputera millionaires,” the assistant minister had said.

Bian who is also the Ba’Kelalan assemblyman.said: “His statement is misleading. In terms of acreage you may say they are ‘paper millionaires’.

“The truth is that they are ‘bankrupt millionaires’, because they have not been paid their dues by the investors and government agency’s agent like Pelita or LCDA (Land Custody Development Authority).

“Two cases had been nullified by the court including the brain child NCR land project of Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud in Machan, Kanowit.

“After nine years the investors said that there are no profits so there are no dividends, so what millionaires is he is talking about?

Commenting on the same issue, Patrick Sibat Sujang, a former NCR land development committee member of Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) accused the assistant minister of misleading the people.

“While on paper, the value of the land could be worth millions of ringgit, but it is useless and meaningless to the landowners as under the JV concept, the landowners had surrendered their land to the JV companies.

“As the landowners have no rights to their land, they are now at the mercy of the investors. They cannot sell their land or get back their land.

“To me the landowners are condemned to poverty for the next 60 years,” said Sujang, pointing out that some landowners received no dividend at all.

“Even if some of them are paid dividends, it is far below the poverty line, and some scheme participants in Lubok Antu received less than RM10 worth of dividend per year,” he said.

“Tell me how the landowners can become millionaires under this concept?

Sujang believed that the only way the landowners can become rich is for the new concept to be replaced by a rental system.

Pedestrian bridge to be new attraction for Kuching city

KUCHING: The proposed pedestrian bridge across the Sarawak River from the Kuching Waterfront to the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) complex is a positive development to provide more tourism attraction to the city.

Assistant Minister of Tourism Datuk Talib Zulpilip, who shared this view when met by reporters yesterday, said the Golden S Bridge will complement other landmarks which have become icons around the area.

“Apart from the waterfront, old shop houses at Gambier Street, the DUN building and the Malay kampung (villages) across the river, the bridge will be another thing to see especially for tourists visiting this city,” he said.

He added that the cost of building the bridge would not be very high as it would be a light structure for pedestrians.

“We are still finalising the finer details. Both the Kuching North City Commission (DBKU) and Kuching South City Council (MBKS) have their say and we also include other government department such as the Public Works Department (JKR) to provide their input,” said Talib.

Adding that the project would be for the benefit of everyone, he thus welcomed input from the public.

“We hope that the tender can be awarded to the contractor by year end,” he said.

On the alleged illegal clearing of land in Santubong by a prominent contractor proposing the Santubong cable car project, Talib refused to comment on it besides pointing out that the illegal activity did not encroach into the perimeter of SEDC-owned Damai Beach Resort.

Kuching future Pedestrian bridge

Source: the borneo post

Scheme produces 2,000 millionaires

KUCHING: There should not be any more doubts about the government’s new concept of native customary rights (NCR) land development as it has turned more than 2,000 participants of its schemes with 50 acres of land into millionaires.

Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Office (Bumiputera Entrepreneur Development) Datuk Mohd Naroden Majais said yesterday the new concept NCR land development with joint-venture (JV) companies was to help rural Bumiputera communities reap returns from their land.

“Through our NCR land development and new concept through JV, about 2,000 landowners who have 50 acres and above now are holding an asset worth a million ringgit. Therefore, we can say that the scheme has created not less than 2,000 rural Bumiputera millionaires,” he said.

Explaining further, Naroden added, “In the current market, assuming one acre of matured palm oil can yield about RM20,000, then 50 acres would easily make RM1,000,000. Although you do not make one million immediately, but at any one time if you needed money, you can sell the land to investors. Fifty acres could easily get you RM1 million.”

The assistant minister was speaking to reporters after officiating at the launching of Kuching Polytechnic ‘C U@Poliku’ programme at the campus here yesterday.

Higher Education Ministry’s Polytechnic Education director-general honorary Major Mohd Nor Yusof, Polytechnic Kuching director Clara Ong Guat Leng, deputy director for Academic Shamsuria Mohd Ariffin and deputy director for Academic Support Jemain Ental were also present.

Naroden added that through the NCR land development schemes, those who owned land in the rural areas could develop their asset without incurring any cost.

“No matter how much land one owns, that person will not receive anything if their land is not developed. Once you developed it, it will yield results. Their land will become an important asset,” he pointed out.

He highlighted that the land development concept had also produced business opportunities in labour supply, fertiliser supplies, logistic and many more, contributing to higher income for the people involved.

Naroden urged people who had their lands surveyed to participate and develop their land through the new NCR land development JV concept.

He stressed that the government was honest in developing the NCR land and there was never any hidden agenda in the scheme.

“The state just wants the people to benefit and make profit through their land. Allegations that the government is stealing land should not arise anymore,” he continued.

Meanwhile, Kuching Polytechnic ‘C U@Poliku’ programme from Oct 12 until 20 was held to bring the public closer to the institute especially in exposing its engineering, information technology and business courses. Polytechnic Kuching also held the programme to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship among the students.

Among the activities held during the nine-day programme were campus open day, career talk in the oil and gas industry, exhibition, various competitions and entrepreneurship programmes.

Selected students from nearby secondary schools were invited for a night’s stay at the campus to gain experience and familiarisation on higher learning culture.

“A business centre activity is very important to expose students and gaining experience to become a successful entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship skills is a very important element in the soft skills domain that should be given attention to,” said Naroden in his officiating speech earlier.

Read more: borneo post