Malaysia mourns the loss of Senate President Mutang Tagal

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said that Malaysia has lost a dedicated leader in parliamentary reform with the passing of Senate President Senator Datuk Mutang Tagal.

The prime minister said even though Mutang retired from politics years ago, his commitment to improving the Parliament, including the Senate, was clear when he became Senate president last February.

“(As soon as he was appointed) he began holding serious discussions on parliamentary reform with the Dewan Rakyat Speaker (Tan Sri Johari Abdul). I took him as someone who had strong principles and good moral values.

“We have indeed lost a Senate president who was able to elevate the dignity of the Senate and proposed a reform in our parliamentary system,” Anwar informed reporters during a meeting at the Nirvana Centre here today, reported Bernama.

Anwar arrived at the memorial centre at noon to say goodbye to Mutang, who passed away at the National Heart Institute (IJN) yesterday.

He spent about 20 minutes with Mutang’s family, including his wife and three children, offering his condolences.

Mutang went to IJN for treatment after coming back from Azerbaijan on May 6. He had a work trip there that began on April 29 but ended sooner than planned.

Sarawak Governor Tun Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, Johari, along with his deputy Datuk Ramli Mohd Nor, and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, also honoured the late Senate president today by paying their final respects.

The Senate President’s Office announced via a statement that a memorial service for Mutang will be held at the Borneo Evangelical Mission (BEM) Church in Miri on Sunday at 10 am.

On Monday, Mutang will be laid to rest at the SIB Lambir Cemetery.

On February 19, Mutang became the 20th president of the Senate, taking over from Wan Junaidi, who stepped down after becoming the Sarawak governor.

Mutang also made history as the first leader from the Lun Bawang ethnic group to hold the position.