Taib: Sarawak assembly to be dissolved on Monday

Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud says he will contest in
the upcoming Sarawak elections but will likely
step down as chief minister mid-term.

KUCHING: Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud announced that the state assembly would be dissolved on Monday (March 21), paving the way for state polls.

The country’s longest serving chief minister, who has helmed the state since 1981, also said that he would contest the upcoming state elections but would step down as chief minister mid-term.


Taib also said he had called on Yang Dipertua Negri Tun Abang Muhammad Salahuddin Abang Barieng on Thursday to get his consent to dissolve the state assembly.

The Election Commission (EC) would decide the dates for nomination and polling, he said, ending months of speculation about the state election.

Taib made the announcement at a joint news conference with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin at Kuching International Airport here.

The current term of the state assembly expires on July 23. The last state election was held on May 20, 2006.
Taib has said that he intended to put his succession in order before he left.

Taib, who will be 75 in May, is also the president of Parti Pesaka Bumipura Bersatu which leads Sarawak Barisan Nasional.