Taib not keen to talk about retirement

Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud was non-committal over a retirement date, despite promising in April 2011 to step down in two years.

Met at a function in Sibu today, Taib was asked about his retirement plans, to which he replied with another question.

"You want me to retire? When are you going to retire? You tell me," he said. "I decide when is the best time to leave."

Throughout the Sarawak state legislative assembly election campaign in 2011, Taib was dogged with the question of when he would step down which was a major campaign issue for Pakatan Rakyat.

Taib, now 76, had ruled Sarawak for 32 years - the longest serving chief executive of a state in Malaysia's history. 

BN chairperson Najib Abdul Razak, apparently worried that the issue would sour BN's chances, had brokered a deal with Taib but did not set a time frame.

As pressure mounted, Taib eventually said he would step down in two years.

But after it was clear that Sarawak BN won the election with a very convincing majority, Taib stated ambigously that he would step down "mid-term".

In 2030, S'wak will overtake Penang

Earlier, Taib told a mostly Chinese audience during a rally that the Chinese community should not use the ballot box to voice their protest. 

Instead, he said the Chinese should ensure more Chinese representatives make it into a BN controlled government. 

"Today, we must think carefully. We have heard (your) protest. The protest cannot go on forever. 

"Our future is not decided by protests. No policy can completely help people if it is purely an expression of protest," he said. 

Taib appear was referring to the near wipe out of SUPP during the state elections, which resulted in a drastic drop in Chinese members of the state cabinet. 

In view of this, Taib said that the Chinese no longer have to protest and ensure that they have some government representation. 

In another development, Taib also took pot shots at DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng for his remarked that the BN administration had made Sarawak among the poorest states in the country. 

"I tell you, compared with Penang, we will be far richer in 2030. Very far much richer. This is my challenge to Lim. He is looking down on Sarawak," he said. - Malaysiakini (FR)