Abu Bekir (left) speaks to reporters while Sulaiman looks on. – Photo by Nur Shazreena Ali
KUCHING (Feb 22): Growing up as the children of the former Sarawak Head of State, the late Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud does not mean they can take it for granted, said Datuk Seri Mahmud Abu Bekir Taib.
In sharing his memories, Abu Bekir said his father was a strict person and prioritised discipline, always telling him and his siblings to work hard.
“He said ‘none of you are stupid and all of you are very intelligent, so you just have to work hard’.
“There is no excuse. If we fail, it is because of our own fault,” he said when met after Taib’s funeral here, today. He was accompanied by his younger brother Datuk Seri Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Taib.
Their other siblings are Jamilah Hamidah and Dato Hanifah Hajar.
Despite Taib’s firmness, Abu Bekir, who is the second child of the late former Sarawak chief minister, said his father always had a soft spot for his children.
He said his father would still make time for them although he was tired from his busy schedule.
He recalled the time his father would bring them to the cinema to watch the latest movie, only to fall asleep during the show because he was too tired.
“My father often took us when we were small, to watch movies after he returned from the office.
“Even though he was tired, we can see from his face that he was tired, but he still took us to the movies.
“No matter how busy he is, he will still make time for us.
“He was a person who not only gave full commitment to work and was very strict in educating, but also committed to his family, especially spending time with his children,” he said.
Abu Bekir also said that he still remembers that his father often brought them to his office after school to look after them as there was nobody at home.
“My father at that time was serving as a minister in the Federal Cabinet. At that time he was the Minister in charge of communication and information.
“We would be taken to his office in Angkasapuri after school and that’s when we had the opportunity to go to the studio there and watch the shows.
“When he was the minister in charge of the agricultural and commodity industry, he always took us to the Universiti Pertanian Malaysia (now Universiti Putra Malaysia) in Serdang and there we had the opportunity to learn how to rear fish and grow crops,” he said.
When Taib became the Minister of Defense, Abu Bekir said his father spent a lot of time working outstation, not only throughout the country but also abroad.
“At that time, he must have taken one of us to accompany him on official visits and duties and he used his own money to cover for his children’s travel.
“But if our mother (the late Datuk Patinggi Puan Sri Laila Taib) accompanied him, he would bring all four of us (siblings). That was how he spent his time with his children, even though he was very busy with his duties,” he said.
As he looked back on his memories, Abu Bekir said he now understood why his father often brought his children to work.
“He taught us to work hard and I remember him always telling us to work hard to achieve something,” he added.
At the same time, Abu Bekir said he and his siblings could not thank the state government enough for granting a state funeral to his father.
He described the state funeral as something special to his family.
“Thank you to everyone, especially the state and federal government agencies for all the help. And appreciation also to the Malaysian Armed Forces who helped us from the beginning to the end of this funeral ceremony.
“Representing my family, I also would like to apologise to anyone that may have felt hurt because of our words or anyone who was offended by our actions during these difficult two or three days. We are very sorry,” he said.
