May 21, 1936: Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud is born in Kampung Sungei Merbau, Miri.
He receives early education at Sekolah Rendah St Joseph in Miri and Sekolah Menengah St Joseph in Kuching after obtaining a Shell scholarship.
1958: Taib earns the Colombo Plan scholarship due to his excellent performance in the Higher School Certificate (HSC) examination, allowing him to further his studies at Adelaide University in Australia.
1960 : He graduates with a Bachelor of Laws degree from the university.
1962: Upon returning to Sarawak, Taib is appointed as public prosecutor in the Crown Council.
1963: He resigns from the Crown Council and assumes post of Barisan Rakyat Jati Sarawak (Berjasa) vice-chairman.
He becames the youngest person to be included in the state cabinet at the age of 27 after being appointed as the state Communications and Works Minister.
1964: Taib pursues postgraduate studies at the Harvard International Summer Course.
1970 : He is elected as Kota Samarahan member of parliament and represents the parliamentary constituency for 38 years.
Taib serves at the federal-level in various portfolios including as General Planning and Socio-Economic Research Minister, Primary Industries Minister, Defence Minister and finally, as Federal Territories Minister.
March 26, 1981: He later returns to provide his services for Sarawak after being appointed as its the fourth chief minister, taking over Tun Abdul Rahman Ya'kub.
He becomes the longest-serving Chief Minister until he resigns on Feb 28 2014, when he was appointed as the seventh Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak.
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS:
- In Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), he served as the longest-serving president for 33 years from 1981 to 2014.
- Establishing the Bintulu Development Authority (BDA) to harness rich oil and gas resources in the state.
- Setting up new administrative divisions such as Mukah, Betong and Samarahan.
- Elevating Kuching and Miri as cities
- Setting up the Laila Taib College in Sibu.
- Setting up various universities such as University Technology Sarawak (UTS) in Sibu, Swinburne University campus in Kuching and Curtin University campus in Miri.
Dec 2001: He is appointed an Honorary Officer of the Order of Australia, "for service to Australian-Malaysian bilateral relations."
April 2010: Taib receives honorary doctorate in Leadership from the Limkokwing University of Creative Technology and is recognised as the "Architect of Modern Sarawak" or "Father of Modern Sarawak" by the university.
July 2010: He is presented with the "Lifetime Achievement" by the Asia HRD Congress to commemorate his contributions towards developing the human capital in Sarawak, especially for the establishment of University Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas).
SEVERAL PLACES WERE NAMED AFTER HIM, INCLUDING:
- Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Pesantren Abdul Taib Mahmud in Asajaya, Samarahan.
- Dewan Canselor Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud, a multipurpose hall located at the University Teknologi Sarawak in Sibu.