Mutang Tagal

Mutang Tagal (5 October 1954 – 10 May 2024) was a Malaysian politician, lawyer and businessman who served as 20th President of the Dewan Negara and Senator from February to his death in office in May 2024 as well as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bukit Mas from April 1982 to October 1990. He was Member of the Supreme Council of the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), a component party of the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) and formerly Barisan Nasional (BN) coalitions. He is the second shortest-serving President of the Dewan Negara after Syed Sheh Barakbah after serving in the position for only about 3 months. He was an ethnic Lun Bawang as well as younger brother of former State Assistant Minister of Communications of Sarawak and former Member of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Ba'kelalan Judson Sakai Tagal who died in a helicopter crash in 2004. He was also the first Dayak and indigenous Sarawakian president of the Dewan Negara in the history of Malaysia.

He was also President of the Orang Ulu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OUCCI), Vice President of the Sarawak Business Federation (SBF), Member of the Supreme Council of the Dayak Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI), 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 Advocates Association, Member of the Malaysian Bar Council and was an honorary consul of Romania in Sarawak from January 2017 to his death in May 2024.

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 as the Bukit Mas MP for the first term in a walkover.

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 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 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 who was appointed the 8th Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak.

Illness and death
On 29 April 2024, Mutang was on a working visit to Baku, Azerbaijan, where he led the Malaysian delegation to the World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue from 1 to 3 May. He had a heart attack during his time there, causing him to return early to Malaysia. Upon reaching Malaysia on 6 May, he was admitted to the National Heart Institute (IJN) in Kuala Lumpur for medical care. He died four days later on 10 May, at the age of 69.

Honours

 * 🇲🇾 Malaysia :
 * MY Darjah Jasa Negara - Order of Meritorious Service - PJN.svg Commander of the Order of Meritorious Service (PJN) – Datuk (2017)