SUCCEEDING Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, who has helmed the resource-rich state for 33 years, should be an honour and speak volumes for heir-in-waiting Tan Sri Adenan Satem.
But despite his impeccable credentials — Adenan began his working life as a journalist with Sarawak Tribune, had a stint as a schoolteacher, was a magistrate in Kuching for three years from 1970, was the legal adviser of petroleum affairs for the primary industries ministry from 1972 to 1974 and commenced his political career in 1979 — there are those who believe his reign will be a short one.
“Adenan has held several posts in the Sarawak government and is very senior. That said, he is not in the best of health. [But Adenan has] been there [with Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB)] all along. He has been with Taib and knows how he runs the state,” Baru Bian, opposition member of the Sarawak State Assembly for the Ba’kelalan seat, tells The Edge.
According to Bian, Adenan has been Taib’s most trusted disciple for some time now.
While age (Adenan is 70) brings wisdom and experience, there are many insiders who say Adenan is far from being hale and hearty, referring to the fact that he wears a pacemaker. In general, the last place to find a septuagenarian is inside an office environment, hard at work.
A political professor with a Sarawak university says at Adenan’s age, his appointment as Sarawak’s chief minister is merely a transitional post before the next state election in 2016.
“Taib’s resignation [as chief minister] had long been talked about. People think Adenan is the best candidate to replace Taib [as] he has been loyal to PBB; he never left the party. Taib has been the chief minister for such a long time that his characteristics and style have rubbed off on his second in command. Just like Taib, Adenan is accepted by all the ethnic communities in Sarawak.”
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| Though Adenan has held several posts in the Sarawak government and is very senior, he is not in the best of health |
The political professor adds that Taib probably picked Adenan because the latter is “neutral” compared with the other two candidates — Datuk Amar Abang Johari and Datuk Amar Awang Tengah — who have strong supporters behind them.
In fact, Johari was quoted in the media as saying the three candidates signed a “unity agreement”, giving Taib the mandate to handpick his successor. “There is no point in the three of us fighting and weakening the party,” he said.
That said, analysts say there will be few, if any, changes in how Sarawak is run with Adenan at the helm. However, in the world of politics, nothing is certain. For example, when Taib succeeded his uncle Abdul Rahman Ya’kub as chief minister in 1981, the latter moved up to become governor, only to be removed by his nephew in 1985.
A stark difference between Taib and the incoming chief minister is their business interests. The Edge found that unlike Taib’s family, which had links to more than 200 companies, the business connections of Adenan’s family were few and not in prominent ventures.
Adenan was at one time married to Taib’s sister Aisah Zainab and their offspring Abdul Aziz is listed as a 40% shareholder of Regal East Sdn Bhd. While it is an investment holding company, Regal East had interests in only one company, Kabuli Sdn Bhd, which has since been dissolved.
More prominent is Adenan’s brother — Datuk Mohd Amin Satem — who was the founder and former chairman of BIG Industries Bhd, but he left the company in 2001. He also exited the board of loss-making Quality Concrete Holdings Bhd.
According to BIG Industries’ website, the company is the largest local industrial gas manufacturer in Sabah and Sarawak and has the biggest market share of ready-mixed concrete and quarry operations, as well as cement transport in Sabah.
In the nine months ended September 2013, BIG Industries made a net profit of RM2.15 million on revenue of RM67.54 million. By comparison, net profit was RM1.98 million on revenue of RM74.93 million in the previous corresponding period.
BIG Industries, which was in the red before, says in the notes accompanying its latest quarterly results that it expects margins to remain thin as a result of intense competition.
This story first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly Edition, on February 17 - February 23, 2014.