KUCHING: Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud should play an advisory role to the state or the state cabinet even after he retires from his post.
Furthermore, the state would still need him to play a pivotal role in its development, said Assistant Youth Development Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
“The chief minister had contributed tremendously to the development of the state. We have seen a lot of changes in the urban and rural areas, such as Samarahan, Mukah and Tanjung Manis. It is clear that his heart is with Sarawak, so he will certainly make sure that his successor is someone who would carry on his visions,” said Abdul Karim, who is also Assistant Housing Minister and Asajaya assemblyman.
Taib is also the initiator of the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) – the catalyst for further development in the state as it is expected to bring in a lot of foreign investments and ample job opportunities for locals.
“Even if he retires, we want to see him play a role as a guide to the rest of us,” Abdul Karim told The Borneo Post and Utusan Borneo in an exclusive interview at his office in Petra Jaya here yesterday.
He, however, stressed that these views were his personal opinion.
There is an indication that Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud might step down any time within this current State Legislative Assembly term, he pointed out.
According to him, Taib could step down any time before 2016.
“He had indicated before the last state election that this could be his last term. Along the way there have been signals that the chief minister would step down midway through this term, which will end in 2016. It could be tomorrow, it could be next month, it could be next year. It could be any time but it is definitely within this term.
“As much as we would like him to carry on as the chief minister, age is catching up. Preparation needs to be done for someone to take over the post. We will leave it to him to decide. He knows best when to retire and who to pass the baton to,” he said.
On the coming meetings on Feb 8 with PBB members and on Feb 9 with state Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs and state assemblymen, Abdul Karim said there must be something important the chief minister wants to relay.
“The PBB meeting is a regular one, while the meeting with MPs and ADUNs (state assemblymen) is to deal with the many issues affecting Sarawak lately. It is a good avenue for us to raise issues and get advice from the chief minister as he is the state BN chairman,” he said.
“It could be a meeting for that or could be for something more important,” he said, refusing to comment further on what it could be.
Abdul Karim believes the candidacy for the next chief minister should be left to the wisdom of Taib, who is also Finance Minister and Resource Planning and Environment Minister.
“We shall leave the matter to him. Obviously it is someone from PBB. We will support whoever is taking over. There will be no drastic change and it will be a smooth transition of power,” he said.