Mutang Tagal
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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 The president of the Senate (; Jawi: ) is the presiding officer or speaker of the Dewan Negara, the upper house of the Parliament of Malaysia. The president of the Senate is created under Article 56 of the Constitution of Malaysia. The office ...
and
Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...
from February 2024 to his
death in office A death in office is the death of a person who was incumbent of an office-position until the time of death. Such deaths have been usually due to natural causes, but they are also caused by accidents, suicides, disease and assassinations. The deat ...
in May 2024. Mutang Tagal was the first Orang Ulu and indigenous Sarawakian president of the Senate (Dewan Negara) in the history of Malaysia. He was an ethnic
Lun Bawang The Lun Bawang (formerly known as Trusan Murut and Mengalong Murut or Southern Murut) is an ethnic group found in Central Northern Borneo. They are indigenous to the southwest of Sabah (Interior Division including Labuan) and the northern reg ...
, 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, 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 The Sarawak State Legislative Assembly is the legislative chamber of the unicameral legislature of the Malaysian state of Sarawak; the Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak forms the other part of the legislature. The Assembly is modelled after th ...
(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. As an advocate for legal justice, 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. 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 Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah has land borders with the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and Indonesia's North Kalima ...
Advocates Association, Member of the Malaysian Bar Council, and was an honorary consul of
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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 Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu ( abbrev: PBB; ) is a political party based in Sarawak, East Malaysia. It is currently the largest multiracial and bumiputera's political party in Sarawak. Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu was formed from the co ...
(PBB), a component party of the
Gabungan Parti Sarawak The Gabungan Parti Sarawak (abbreviation, abbrev: GPS; English: Sarawak Parties Alliance) is a Sarawak-based national political alliance in Malaysia. It was established in 2018 by four former Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties operating so ...
(GPS) and formerly
Barisan Nasional Barisan Nasional (BN; ) is a political coalition of Malaysia that was founded in 1974 as a coalition of centre-right and right-wing political parties to succeed the Alliance Party. It is the third largest political coalition with 30 seats in ...
(BN) coalitions.


Hobbies

During his spare time, he enjoyed golf and brisk walking alongside Miri's coast with his wife.


Political career


Member of Parliament (1982–1990)


1982 general election

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 In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
as the Bukit Mas MP for the first term in a
walkover John Baxter Taylor and William Robbins (athlete)">William Robbins to refuse to race in protest. A walkover, also W.O. or w/o (originally two words: "walk over"), is awarded to the opposing team/player, etc., if there are no other players avail ...
.


1986 general election

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 Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
candidate Mohd Bujang Mohd Yassin by a majority of 5,863 votes.


President of the Dewan Negara and Senator (2024)

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 Wan Junaidi bin Tuanku Jaafar (Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , born 1 February 1946) 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 Pre ...
who was appointed the 8th
Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak The Governor of Sarawak, officially Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak (''Malay: Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak'') is the ceremonial head of state of Sarawak, Malaysia. The is styled (). The official residence of the governor is The Astana, loc ...
.


Sudden illness and death

On 29 April 2024, Mutang was on a working visit to
Baku Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...
,
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, 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 Ilham Heydar Oghlu Aliyev (born 24 December 1961) is an Azerbaijani politician who has been the fourth president of Azerbaijan since 2003. He is also the leader of the New Azerbaijan Party since 2005. The son and second child of former Aze ...
, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, 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 Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...
for medical care. He died four days later on 10 May 2024, at the age of 69. 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. Thousands bid farewell to Mutang during his wake and funeral services in Kuala Lumpur and Miri. After heartfelt eulogies from his wife, children, father, and sister, Mutang Tagal was laid to rest in Miri, Sarawak, where he had lived with his family for many decades.


Election results


Honours

* : ** Commander of the Order of Meritorious Service (PJN) – Datuk (2017)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mutang Tagal 1954 births Malaysian Christians 2024 deaths Members of the Dewan Negara 21st-century Malaysian politicians Sarawak politicians Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu politicians 20th-century Malaysian lawyers 21st-century Malaysian lawyers Presidents of the Dewan Negara Malaysian Protestants Commanders of the Order of Meritorious Service Malaysian MPs 1982–1986 Malaysian MPs 1986–1990