Mutang Tagal (5 October 1954 – 10 May 2024) was a

Malaysian Malaysian may refer to: * Something from or related to Malaysia, a country in Southeast Asia * Malaysian Malay, a dialect of Malay language spoken mainly in Malaysia * Malaysian people, people who are identified with the country of Malaysia regar ...

politician, lawyer and businessman who had served as 20th

President of the Dewan Negara The President of the Senate ( ms, Yang di-Pertua Dewan Negara) is the presiding officer or speaker of the Dewan Negara, the upper house of the Parliament of Malaysia. The President of the Senate is created under Article 56 of the Constitution o ...

and

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

from February to his death in office in May 2024 as well as the Member of Parliament (MP) for

Bukit Mas Bukit Mas was a federal constituency in Sarawak, Malaysia, that was represented in the Dewan Rakyat The Dewan Rakyat (English: 'House of Representatives'; ) is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament, the federal legislature of Malaysi ...

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 Malaysia is located on a strategic sea lane that exposes it to global trade and various cultures. The name "Malaysia" is a modern concept, created in the second half of the 20th century. However, contemporary Malaysia regards the entire history ...

. 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 The Malaysian Bar (Malay: Badan Peguam Malaysia) is a professional body which regulates the profession of lawyers in peninsular Malaysia. In Malaysia, there is no distinction between a barrister and a solicitor, in that, it is a fused profes ...

and was an honorary consul of Romania in Sarawak from January 2017 to his death in May 2024.

Political career

Member of Parliament (1982–1990)

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 Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...

, 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.

Election results

Honours

* : **

MY Darjah Jasa Negara - Order of Meritorious Service - PJN

Commander of the Order of Meritorious Service (PJN) – Datuk (2017)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mutang Tagal 1954 births Malaysian Christians 2024 deaths Members of the Dewan Rakyat Members of the Dewan Negara 20th-century Malaysian politicians 21st-century Malaysian politicians Sarawak politicians Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu politicians 20th-century Malaysian lawyers 21st-century Malaysian lawyers Presidents of the Dewan Negara Malaysian Protestants Commanders of the Order of Meritorious Service