KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's first indigenous Sarawakian Dewan Negara president, Senator Datuk Mutang Tagal, died today.
Mutang, 69, had fallen ill during a work visit to Azerbaijan and was brought back to Malaysia this week for treatment.
He leaves behind wife Datin Ho Mei Leng and three children. Mutang, who was former Bukit Mas member of parliament, was the first indigenous Sarawakian to be appointed as Dewan Negara president.
He was sworn in as the 20th Senate president in February this year following the resignation of Tun Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, who was subsequently appointed as the Yang Dipertua Negeri of Sarawak.
Hailing from Ba'kelalan, he was a lawyer and businessman before joining politics. The Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu member served as the MP for Bukit Mas (now Lawas) from Apr 1982 to Oct 1990.
He made his electoral debut in the 1982 general election, representing Barisan Nasional (BN) to win the Bukit Mas federal seat.In 1986, he successfully defended the seat for a second term, defeating independent candidate Mohd Bujang Mohd Yassin by a majority of 5,863 votes.
He was an ethnic Lun Bawang, a subgroup of Dayak native to Sarawak.
Mutang had a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Curtin University, and held several positions, including president of the Orang Ulu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OUCCI). He was also the legal adviser to Persatuan Lun Bawang Sarawak, and vice-president of the Sarawak Business Federation (SBF).