Tun Abdul Rahman Ya'kub: Remembering an important national figure

Famous for his oratory prowess, he left a considerable impact on the national education agenda despite serving as Minister of Education for only one year, in 1969, taking the bold step of changing the language of instruction in schools and higher education institutions in the country to the national language, Bahasa Malaysia.

He was the main figure from Sarawak chosen by Malaysia's first Prime Minister, the late Tunku Abdul Rahman in efforts to instill belief in the people of Sarawak that they should support the formation of Malaysia, which became a reality in 1963.

The same year he was appointed as Deputy Minister of Rural Development, before becoming the Minister of Law the next year, the Minister of Lands and Mines in 1965 and Minister of Education in 1969.

He received a mandate for the Chief Minister's post in 1970 when he won the first Sarawak state election after the formation of Malaysia and led the state for 11 years before being inaugurated as the fourth Yang Dipertua Negeri of Sarawak. He was Yang Dipertua Negeri from 1981 to 1984.

Beginning his career as a Bumiputera cadet officer the in Sarawak Administrative Service in 1948, he climbed the ranks of government administration before resigning as Deputy Public Prosecutor of the Sarawak State Attorney-General's Chambers in 1963, to enter politics.

He was the first Bumiputera of Sarawak who graduated as a lawyer from Lincoln's Inn, London in 1958, and was directly involved in leading many current leaders and political figures in the state of Sarawak into the political arena.

Among the major events associated with Abdul Rahman in the Land of the Hornbills include his involvement in efforts to persuade the communist groups in Sarawak to return to society, as well as marking history with the success of the Sri Aman operation in breaking the threat of communism in 1974.

Besides that, among the most notable events would definitely be the 'Ming Court Affair' in 1987, which was considered by many as a clash between him and Taib, the Chief Minister of Sarawak at the time.

The bitter chapter in history saw Abdul Rahman leading a group of members from the State Assembly at Ming Court Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, and passing a motion of no confidence against Taib as the Chief Minister.

The next sequence of events led to Abdul Rahman leading the opposition coalition involving the Sarawak Malaysian People's Association (Permas) and Sarawak Native People's Party (PBDS) challenging the state's Barisan Nasional coalition led by Taib during the state election in 1987.

However, they were defeated and Taib became Sarawak's longest reigning Chief Minister, from 1981 until 2004.

During an interview in 2008, Abdul Rahman had admitted that his health had deteriorated in 1980, leading to heart surgery in London, and that he had expressed his intention to step down as Chief Minister to the then Prime Minister, Tun Hussein Onn.

Four years after his appointment as the Yang Dipertua Negeri, he did not budge from his decision to step down due to health reasons, and subsequent years saw him being more focused on religious events.

His relationship with his nephew Taib improved during the arrival of the new millennium, as was mentioned by the Tun (Abdul Rahman) himself that 'Blood was thicker than water".

In 2003, a report by Bernama stated that most of the patrons in the Jamek Mosque in Petra Jaya, Kuching were in disbelief when they saw Abdul Rahman shaking hands and hugging Taib after Friday prayers, and it was reported as the first in a long time that the two relatives had been seen exchanging pleasantries in public.

Abdul Rahman was also president of BINA (Angkatan Nahdatul Islam Bersatu Sarawak) from 1969 to 1986 and Member of the Supreme Council of Muslim World League, Makkah, in addition to being a member of the World Muslim Congress in Karachi, Pakistan.

After retiring from politics, Abdul Rahman was still active in preaching religious knowledge, often conducting missionary activities at Surau Sri Bahagia, Kuching.

He leaves behind a wife and eight daughters. One of his daughters, Datuk Norah, is Tanjung Manis assemblyman, while another daughter, Khadijah, is the daughter-in-law of the late Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, who was Malaysia's second prime minister and the father of current prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.