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

Personal life and education

Tawi Sli was born in Banting, Lingga, Sri Aman,

Sarawak Sarawak (; ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the M ...

. He hailed from an Anglican family. He received his formal education at St. Thomas school in

Kuching Kuching (), officially the City of Kuching, is the capital and the most populous city in the States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Sarawak in Malaysia. It is also the capital of Kuching Division. The city is on the Sarawak River ...

until Form 3.

Early career

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.

Early political career

In 1963, Tawi Sli was appointed as

Penghulu Penghulu ( Jawi: ; also Pěnghulu) is the headman or chief of a region in traditional societies on the Malay archipelago in Maritime Southeast Asia. The term is currently used in Brunei and Malaysia as the community leader of the smaller country ...

and he started to become active in politics. He was the secretary of

Sarawak National Party The Sarawak National Party known by its acronym as "SNAP", is now a defunct political party in Malaysia. It was a member party of the Alliance Party from 1963 to 1966 and a member of Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition from 1976 until its expulsion ...

(SNAP) of the

Simanggang Simanggang is a town and the capital of Sri Aman District and Sri Aman Division in Sarawak, east Malaysia. Located on the Lupar River, it is , a three-hour drive, from Kuching, the capital of Sarawak. It is a trade center for the timber, oil p ...

branch. He later resigned from SNAP and joined Parti Pesaka Sarawak in 1966.

Appointment to chief minister

Tawi Sli was appointed as the chief minister of Sarawak by the then Governor of Sarawak,

Abang Haji Openg Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg bin Abang Sapiee ( ms, ابڠ حاج اوڤيڠ بن ابڠ شافعي, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset; 7 October 1905 – 28 March 1969) was a Malaysian politician who served as the first Yang di-Pertua Neg ...

, during the 1966 Sarawak constitutional crisis. He was the chief minister for 3 months (16 June 1966 to 7 September 1966) before Stephen Kalong Ningkan was reinstated by the High Court as the legitimate chief minister. However, Tawi Sli later sworn in as the chief minister for the second time on 23 September 1966 following the successful ouster of Ningkan from the chief minister post.

Honours

* : **

Member of the

Most Exalted Order of the Star of Sarawak The ''Darjah Utama Yang Amat Mulia Bintang Sarawak'' (Most Exalted Order of the Star of Sarawak) is the highest state order in the state of Sarawak. It is conferred to those who rendered excellent service towards the development of the state of S ...

(ABS) (1964) ** Orde_van_de_Ster_van_Sarawak

Knight Commander of the

(PNBS) – Dato' (1967)

Later life

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

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sli, Tawi Malaysian Anglicans 1912 births Iban people 1987 deaths Chief Ministers of Sarawak Sarawak state ministers People from Sarawak Members of the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly Sarawak National Party politicians Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu politicians Knights Commander of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of Sarawak