Honours
Malaysia : -
Commander of the Order of Meritorious Service (PJN) – Datuk (2017) [19]
-
Datuk Mutang Tagal | |
|---|---|
| 20th President of the Dewan Negara | |
| In office 19 February 2024 –10 May 2024 | |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Datuk Mutang Tagal (5 October 1954 – 10 May 2024) was a Malaysian lawyer, businessman, and politician. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Bukit Mas in the state of Sarawak, Malaysia from April 1982 to October 1990. He left active politics from 1990 until his surprise appointment as the 20th President of the Dewan Negara and Senator from February 2024 to his death in office in May 2024. Mutang Tagal was the first Orang Ulu and indigenous Sarawakian president of the Senate (Dewan Negara) in the history of Malaysia. [1]
He was an ethnic Lun Bawang, growing up in Ba'Kelalan, Sarawak to Christian missionary pastor parents, Tagal Paran (father) and Yamu Pengiran (mother). He grew up during the Christian revival era that occurred in the 1970s among the Lun Bawangs in Sarawak, [2] making an impact on his lifelong journey of faith as a Christian. He was also the younger brother of former State Assistant Minister of Communications of Sarawak and former Member of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Ba'kelalan Judson Sakai Tagal who died in a helicopter crash during an official government work trip with 6 others in July 2004. [3]
As an advocate for legal justice, [4] Mutang served as a Commissioner for Oaths and Notary Public, and contributed to private law practice. He worked with firms such as Mutang and Sam Advocates and Solicitors in Miri; Khaled, Mutang, Chan & Lim in Kuala Lumpur; and Mutang, Bojeng & Chai Advocates & Solicitors in Kuching. [5]
He also served as Vice President of the Sarawak Business Federation (SBF) and hold advisory positions with the Semaring Group of Companies. His dedication to business and commerce extends further as President of the Orang Ulu Chamber of Commerce & Industry (OUCCI) and Vice President of the Dayak Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI).
He was also a Patron of the Lawas Shooting and Archery Association (LSAA), Advisor to the Northern Sarawak Journalists Association (NSJA), Legal Advisor to the Sarawak Lun Bawang Association, Member of the Sarawak Advocates Association, Member of the Sabah Advocates Association, Member of the Malaysian Bar Council, and was an honorary consul of Romania in Sarawak from January 2017 until his appointment as the President of the Senate in February 2024.
He was a Member of the Supreme Council of the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), a component party of the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) and formerly Barisan Nasional (BN) coalitions.
During his spare time, he enjoyed golf and brisk walking alongside Miri's coast with his wife. [6]
In the 1982 general election, Mutang made his electoral debut after being nominated by BN to contest for the Bukit Mas federal seat. He won the seat and was elected to the Parliament as the Bukit Mas MP for the first term in a walkover. [7]
In the 1986 general election, Mutang was renominated by BN to defend the Bukit Mas seat. He defended the seat and was reelected to the Parliament as the Bukit Mas MP for the second term after defeating independent candidate Mohd Bujang Mohd Yassin by a majority of 5,863 votes. [8]
On 15 February 2024, Mutang Tagal was appointed to the Parliament as a Senator. On 19 February 2024, he was appointed 20th President of the Dewan Negara, replacing Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar who was appointed the 8th Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak. [9]
On 29 April 2024, Mutang was on a working visit to Baku, Azerbaijan, where he led the Malaysian delegation to the World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue from 1 to 3 May 2024. During his visit, he was the only delegate accorded the honor of meeting Ilham Aliyev, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, [10] expanding on bilateral relations between Malaysia and Azerbaijan. However, Mutang had to cut his official working trip short due to a sudden illness that came about during a work tour in Azerbaijan, causing him to return early to Malaysia. Upon reaching Malaysia on 6 May 2024, he was admitted to the National Heart Institute (IJN) in Kuala Lumpur for medical care. He died four days later on 10 May 2024, at the age of 69. [11]
The King and Queen of Malaysia, Prime Minister of Malaysia described Mutang's death as a loss to the state of Sarawak, as well as to the nation. [12] [13] [14] Thousands bid farewell [15] to Mutang during his wake and funeral services in Kuala Lumpur and Miri. After heartfelt eulogies from his wife, children, father, and sister, [16] [17] Mutang Tagal was laid to rest in Miri, Sarawak, [18] where he had lived with his family for many decades.
| Year | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | P154 Bukit Mas | Mutang Tagal (PBB) | Walkover | |||||||||
| 1986 | Mutang Tagal (PBB) | 9,470 | 72.42% | Mohd Bujang Mohd Yassin (IND) | 3,607 | 27.58% | 13,077 | 5,863 | 57.78% | |||
Malaysia : 
Commander of the Order of Meritorious Service (PJN) – Datuk (2017) [19] 
Lawas is a small town and the capital of Lawas District, Limbang Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. This district area is 3,811.90 square kilometres, and population was 46,200. It is 1,200 km from the state capital, Kuching and 200 km from the capital city of Sabah, Kota Kinabalu.
Orang Ulu is an ethnic designation politically coined to group together roughly 27 very small but ethnically diverse tribal groups in northeastern Sarawak, Malaysia with populations ranging from less than 300 persons to over 25,000 persons. Orang Ulu is not a legal term, and no such racial group exists or is listed in the Malaysian Constitution. The term was popularised by the Orang Ulu National Association (OUNA), which was formed in 1969. Orang Ulu is totaling 180 000 people which is 6.2% from 2.8millions of Sarawak people.
Limbang Division is one of the twelve administrative divisions of Sarawak, Malaysia. It has a total area of 7,788.50 square kilometres, and is the fourth largest division after Kapit Division, Miri Division and Bintulu Division. Limbang Division consists of two districts which are Limbang District and Lawas District, which in turn are divided as sub-districts in Limbang and two sub-districts in Lawas. Long Semadoh and Ba’kelalan are rural settlements in the southern part of Lawas district. Two major towns in Limbang are Limbang and Lawas. There are also few smaller towns such as Sundar, Trusan, Merapok and Tedungan.
Ba'kelalan is a group of nine villages at Maligan Highlands of Limbang Division, Sarawak, Malaysia about 3,000 feet (910 m) above sea level and 4 km from the border with Indonesian Kalimantan and 150 km from the nearest town of Lawas. There are nine villages in Ba'kelalan. The villagers here belong to the Lun Bawang tribe.
Hornbill Skyways Sdn Bhd is a regional aircraft charter service operating in towns and rural areas in Sarawak. The company slogan is "Wings to your Destination".
The Lun Bawang is an ethnic group found in Central Northern Borneo. They are indigenous to the southwest of Sabah and the northern region of Sarawak, highlands of North Kalimantan and Brunei.
The Limbang District is one of the two districts of Limbang Division, Malaysia. It has a total area of 3,978.10 square kilometres. The major town is Limbang. It has one sub-district, which is Nanga Medamit Sub-District. It borders Brunei Darussalam to the west and east, Lawas District to the southeast and Miri District at the south and southwest. Due to being squeezed in between Brunei at its north and coastal areas, Limbang is accessible by road only by going through immigration posts.
Wan Junaidi bin Tuanku Jaafar is a Malaysian politician, lawyer and former senior police officer who is the eighth and current Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak. He previously served as the 19th President of the Dewan Negara and Senator from June 2023 to his resignation in January 2024.
Douglas Uggah Embas is a Malaysian politician who has served as Deputy Premier of Sarawak since 2016. He has been Member of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Bukit Saban since 2016, having previously been Member of Parliament (MP) for Betong from 1986 to 2018. He currently serves in the state cabinet of Premier Abang Abdul Rahman Johari Abang Openg as Second Minister for Finance and New Economy, as well as Minister for Infrastructure and Port Development. He previously served as Minister of Agriculture Modernisation and Rural Economy under former chief minister, Adenan Satem. Douglas is a member of the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), a component party of the ruling state Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition.
Datuk Joseph Entulu Belaun is a Malaysian politician. He was a Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and a Member of Parliament (MP) for the Selangau constituency in Sarawak, representing the Sarawak People's Party (PRS) from 2004 until the dissolution of the Parliament on 7 April 2018.
Dato Henry Sum Agong is a Malaysian politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Lawas since March 2008. He served as the Deputy Minister of Transport in the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration under former Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and former Minister Wee Ka Siong from August 2021 to the collapse of the BN administration in November 2022 and the Deputy Minister of Rural Development II in the Perikatan Nasional (PN) administration under former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and former Minister Abdul Latiff Ahmad from March 2020 to the collapse of the PN administration in August 2021. He also served as Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism in the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration under former Prime Minister Najib Razak and former Minister Hamzah Zainudin from June 2016 to May 2018 and MP for Bukit Mas from November 1999 to March 2008. He is a member of the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), a component party of the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) and formerly BN coalitions. He is the first deputy minister of the Lun Bawang ethnicity in the history of Malaysia.
Tuanku Bujang bin Tuanku Othman was a Malaysian politician who served as the 2nd Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor) of Sarawak from 1969 to 1977.
The sixth Sarawak state election was held between Friday, 27 September and Saturday, 28 September 1991. This election elected 56 state representatives into the Sarawak State Assembly. This election saw 72.8% of the eligible voters to cast their votes.
Baru Bian is a Malaysian politician and lawyer who has served as Member of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Ba'kelalan since April 2011. He served as the Minister of Works in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration under former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad from July 2018 to the collapse of the PH administration in February 2020 and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Selangau from May 2018 to November 2022. He is a member of the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), a component party of the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition and was a member of the Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB), People's Justice Party (PKR), a component party of the PH and formerly Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalitions. He has also served as the Vice President of PDP since April 2024. He also served as the State Chairman of PKR of Sarawak from December 2009 to his resignation from the party in February 2020. He became the first ever federal minister of the Lun Bawang ethnicity in the Malaysian history.
Alan Ling Sie Kiong is a Malaysian politician and lawyer who served as Senator from August 2018 to August 2021 and Member of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Piasau from April 2011 to May 2016. He is the State Secretary of Sarawak of both the Democratic Action Party (DAP) as well as its coalition, the state opposition Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition.
Long Sukang Airport is a small airport near Long Sukang, a Lun Bawang settlement in the Lawas division of Sarawak, Malaysia, and is one of four airports in the Lawas division.
The United Sarawak Party was a multi-racial political party based in the state of Sarawak.
The Ba'kelalan by-election was a by-election for the seat of Ba'kelalan state constituency in the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly. The seat fell vacant after the death if its incumbent member, Dr Judson Sakai Tagal in a helicopter crash at Mount Murud. The seat was defended for Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition government by Nelson Balang Rining of the Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP), while an independent politician Baru Bian contested against BN in a straight one-to-one fight.
Mohammed Taufiq bin Johari is a Malaysian politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sungai Petani since November 2022. He is a member of the People's Justice Party (PKR), a component party of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition. He served as the State and Division Youth Chief of Kedah and Sungai Petani of PH and PKR. He is the sole Kedah PH MP and son of the Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat and former Sungai Petani MP, Johari Abdul. He is also presently the youngest MP at the age of 28.
Awang Bemee bin Awang Ali Basah is a Malaysian politician and lawyer who has served as the 21st President of the Dewan Negara and Senator since July 2024. He served as Member of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Nangka from September 1996 to April 2011. He is a member, Member of the Supreme Council, Legal Advisor and was Youth Secretary-General of the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), a component party of the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) and formerly Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition. He is also the Public Officer of GPS. He has been the Chairman of Kuching Port Authority since 1997 and has practised as an advocate and solicitor and legal practitioner since being admitted to the High Court of Borneo, Sarawak in 1984. He is an independent non-executive director of the Sarawak Plantation Berhad (SPB) and a partner in the legal firm Messrs. Awang Lai Sandhu and Co.
