“Rescind native status of Taib’s wife Ragad or face serious discord among Sarawakians”
THE Sarawak state government, Council for Customs & Traditions Sarawak, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the National Registration Department (JPN) must investigate and rescind the native status of Ragad Kurdi Taib, wife of the current governor Tan Sri Taib Mahmud.
(Focus Malaysia) – Sarawak activist Peter John Jaban who made the call further urged the authorities to probe her sons from a former relationship and to prevent them from owning any native title lands in Sarawak.
As the governor’s children are currently engage in a legal battle over their late mother’s assets, including that of the late Puan Sri Laila Taib’s shares in Cahya Mata Sarawak Bhd (CMSB), the issue of citizenship granted to wife of the former chief minister has resurfaced.
This has sparked consternation among genuine Sarawak citizens, especially those who are unable to inherit their ancestral lands because of strict rules in place governing native status.
“It is a travesty that Ragad and her children should have a future of extreme wealth and status that has been denied to so many genuine natives and, indeed, genuine Sarawakians,” lamented Jaban in a statement.
“Thousands of people, born in Sarawak to native parents, remain stateless. Thousands more are unable to inherit their ancestral lands from their native parents as they are the product of mixed marriages.
“But now we are facing the very real prospect that this woman – with precious little connection to Sarawak other than an advantageous marriage – walking away with a fortune in Sarawak’s wealth. Our current Sarawak government must prevent this from happening or face serious discord among the Sarawak people.”
