Tawi Sli

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Yang Berbahagia Dato' Sri Penghulu
Tawi Sli
ABS PNBS
2nd Chief Minister of Sarawak
In office
23 September 1966 – 7 July 1970
Governor
DeputyAbang Abdul Rahim (1966-1970)[1]
Preceded byStephen Kalong Ningkan
Succeeded byAbdul Rahman Ya'kub
Personal details
Born(1912-06-12)12 June 1912
Banting, Lingga, Sri Aman, Raj of Sarawak
Died1987(1987-00-00) (aged 74–75)
Sarawak, Malaysia
NationalityMalaysian
Political party
SpouseDatin Sri Dorothy Inti Anak Robert Eddie (Deceased)
OccupationPolitician

Dato' Sri Penghulu Tawi Sli (12 June 1912 – 1987) was the second chief minister of Sarawak.

Personal life and education[edit]

Tawi Sli was born in Banting, Lingga, Sri Aman, Sarawak. He hailed from an Anglican family. He received his formal education at St. Thomas school in Kuching until Form 3.[2]

Early career[edit]

After school, Tawi Sli worked as a teacher in a mission school while undergoing a three-year training programme to become a pastor. He served as a clerk with the government before he retired in 1961.[2]

Early political career[edit]

In 1963, Tawi Sli was appointed as Penghulu and he started to become active in politics. He was the secretary of Sarawak National Party (SNAP) of the Simanggang branch.[2] He later resigned from SNAP and joined Parti Pesaka Sarawak in 1966.[2]

Appointment to chief minister[edit]

Tawi Sli was appointed as the chief minister of Sarawak by the then Governor of Sarawak, Abang Haji Openg, during the 1966 Sarawak constitutional crisis on 17 June 1966.[3][4] Tawi Sli immediately appoint five members into his Supreme Council (equivalent to Sarawak cabinet today) namely: Abdul Taib Mahmud, and Awang Hipni from BARJASA, Umpau and Laing from PESAKA, and Abang Haji Abdul Rahman from PANAS. Two months later, Teo Kui Seng and Ling Beng Siong from SCA were appointed to Supreme Council. Meanwhile, Taib Mahmud became the deputy chief minister and minister of development and forestry. Ningkan's SNAP party withdrew from the Sarawak Alliance. Abdul Rahman Ya'kub retained his federal minister post. Taib Mahmud, Abang Haji Abdul Rahman, and Thomas Kana became advisors for Tawi Sli.[4]

In November 1967, Taib Mahmud resigned from the State Minister of Development after Tun Jugah accused Taib of spending too much money on building suraus and mosques while ignoring the needs of Dayak people. Taib was then appointed as a member of Dewan Rakyat and became Federal Deputy Minister of Commerce and Industry.[4] In 1968, Angkatan Nahdatul Islam Bersatu (BINA) was formed. Abdul Rahman Ya'kub became the chairman of BINA while Taib Mahmud became the treasurer.[4]

1966 Sarawak constitutional crisis[edit]

Main article: 1966 Sarawak constitutional crisis

Ningkan went to the Kuching High Court, dissatisfied with the Governor's (Abang Haji Openg) action of dismissing him and installing Tawi Sli as the chief minister. The high court declared Ultra vires (beyond the powers) for the actions of the Governor. Eventually, Ningkan was reinstated by the court on 8 September 1966, which saw the necessity of a formal vote of no confidence.[4] Tawi Sli was the chief minister for 3 months (16 June 1966 to 7 September 1966) when the high court made the decision to reinstate Ningkan as chief minister.[5]

Ningkan tried to initiate a dissolution of the state assembly upon his reinstatement. However, the federal government declared state of emergency on 15 September, citing chaos in the state.[6] The federal government then unilaterally amended the Sarawak Constitution to give the power to the state's governor to commence the Council Negri meeting.[4] Vote of no confidence was passed on 24 September and Tawi Sli swore in again as the chief minister.[4]

Removal of expatriates from government services[edit]

On 27 July 1966, Tawi Sli said that there is a need for "an independent country to be administered by its own local officers". During this time, two expatriates were left in the Council Negri (now Sarawak state legislative assembly) namely Tony Shaw and John Pike after a purge by Ningkan from the Supreme Council (today Sarawak cabinet) during the 1965 land bill crisis. Tony Shaw and John Pike were also the former close advisors for Ningkan's government. Tony Shaw was given ten days to leave the state, however, Shaw protested due to inadequate time for preparation. Tawi Sli then announced on 30 July that Shaw would be on leave until the end of August. Shaw will leave Sarawak after a farewell lunch with Tawi Sli on 26 August. Shaw was paid the remainder of his contract compensations. John Pike was on leave overseas when Tawi Sli announced this decision. So John Pike was similarly compensated and was told not to return to Sarawak. Acting chief minister Taib Mahmud then announced that for the remaining 300 expatriate officers in the government, all of their contracts would not be renewed upon expiration. Therefore, by October 1967, all these expatriate officers will be replaced by local personnel.[4] Taib Mahmud was believed to initiate the departure of Tony Shaw and John Pike instead of Tawi Sli himself. Some had viewed the expatriates as an obstacle to fully integrating Sarawak into Malaysia because of the insistence of the expatriates that the Malaysian government should fully comply with every detail of the Inter-Governmental Agreement to protect Sarawak's interests. Others view the expatriates as obstacles to their own career pathways as the expatriates took away the jobs that are supposed to belong to the locals.[4]

Honours[edit]

Later life[edit]

He retired from politics in 1974 and later was involved in business until his death in 1987. His wife, Datin Sri Dorothy Inti, died in April 2015.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Hong Min, Lim (1982). 18 years in Malaysia (Sarawak&Sabah) 1963-1981. Kuching, Sarawak: Malaysia Timor Publications. pp. 16–20. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d "Revisiting 48 years of leadership". The Borneo Post. 16 September 2011. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  3. ^ "Previous Chief Ministers of Sarawak". The Borneo Post. 12 February 2014.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Porritt, Vernon L (2004). "Turbulent times in Sarawak: the end of expatriate influence and the struggle for power over and within the state". Borneo Research Bulletin. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  5. ^ Weiss, Meredith L. (2014). Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Malaysia. Routledge. p. 87. ISBN 978-1-317-62959-7.
  6. ^ "Background: Constitutional Crises" (PDF). The Edge (Malaysia). 3 February 2009. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  7. ^ "STATE'S HIGHEST HONOUR FOR 16". The Straits Times. 5 October 1964. p. 7.
  8. ^ "Tawi Sli dapat gelaran Dato Sarawak". Berita Harian. 3 October 1967. p. 8.
Preceded by Chief Minister of Sarawak
1966–1970 		Succeeded by
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