My wife my pillar of strength and source of inspiration: Taib

By Samuel Aubrey and Churchill Edward

KUCHING: Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud describes his wife Datuk Amar Puan Sri Laila as his pillar of strength and source of inspiration in his long political career.

He said Laila had many wonderful qualities, but that the one particular quality that really stood out was her patience.

He said it was her patience that made her capable of tolerating his temperament.

Taib also said Laila was always very clear about the line that separated his family life and office.

“She did not interfere in my politics and that was probably how we have managed,” he said at their 50th or golden wedding anniversary at the newly-opened Four Points by Sheraton Kuching hotel here last night.

He said Laila had been by his side through the thick and thin of his career as a politician and minister.

He cited one example where Laila had to walk across a log bridge across the river when accompanying him in one of his trips to rural Sarawak.

“I showed her the way and she did not fall,” he said, adding that he must acknowledge that it was never easy for just any woman to be a politician’s wife, especially to a man who had many tempers.

“More so if he is such a man in his younger days,” he said, referring to himself more in jest.

“Laila has been a major part in making my life very bearable,” said Taib in a speech that both tickled the audience and provided them with a rare insight into his marriage.

When Taib took to the podium, Laila was standing by his side and they looked very loving.

Taib and Laila said last night’s celebration would not be complete without them thanking their four children, Jamilah Hamidah, Mahmud Abu Bekir, Sulaiman Abdul Rahman and Hanifah, who together give the couple 15 grandchildren.

Taib also thanked God for the many joys he had in his life, saying: “Whenever I’m happy, my first thought is to always thank God for his blessings and I think my life has shown how much God is with us.

“Perhaps I have lots of problems, trials and tribulations in trying to chart out the course of my life, but I think life is nothing without being thankful to God,” he said.

He also thanked people who had given him advice, especially his uncle, former head of state and chief minister Tun Abdul Rahman Yakub.

He hastened to say: “If not for him, I would probably be a doctor. It was he who influenced me by saying, ‘Look, you can’t take up medicine. You must take up law and come back and serve the country’.”

Although Taib initially did not welcome the advice, it was eventually his desire to help the people of Sarawak that put him into the path he is in now.

“Even (Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri) Dr George Chan has to abandon his profession (as doctor) in order to serve the people,” he quipped.

Taib also said that during his political career, he had met people with different political wavelengths but their differences had instead taught him very valuable points.

As a gesture of apprecia-tion for sharing the joys of their 50th wedding anniversary, the couple also handed over donations of RM50,000 each to four charitable organisations.

The recipients were Sibu Community Services Association, Lembaga Anak-Anak Yatim Sara-wak, Sarakup Indu Dayak Sarawak and Sarawak Hearts Foundation.

Earlier, the guests were given a pleasant surprise when Jamilah rendered a few songs including ‘When I Fall In Love’ and ‘You Raise Me Up’ to comme-morate the occasion.

There was also a poetry recital by Datu Dr Adi Badiozaman Tuah and his wife Datin Fatimah Abdullah.

Among those paying tribute in a special video presentation were Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu Numpang, Taib’s former classmate Anuar Razak and former univer-sity mate John Kiosogious.