Laila Taib, a Polish Muslim, was known for her marriage to Abdul Taib Mahmud, a highly influential and contentious politician in Malaysia. As his first spouse, she bore four children who are currently active in the fields of politics and business. In 2009, she succumbed to cancer, leaving behind a lasting impact of benevolence and empathy.
Laila Taib Profile Summary
Birth name: Lejla Chaleck
Birthdate: March 1, 1941
Birthplace: Poland
Death date: April 29, 2009
Burial place: Demak Jaya cemetery, Kuching
Marital status: Married
Spouse: Abdul Taib Mahmud (m. 1959-2009)
Children: Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Taib, Mahmud Abu Bekir Taib, Hanifah Hajar Taib, Jamilah Taib Murray
Ethnicity: Lipka Tatar
Nationality: Malaysian
Religion: Islam
Occupation: Social worker, philanthropist
Early Life & Education
Laila Taib, also known as Lejla Chaleck, was born on March 1, 1941, in Poland. She was born into a family of Lipka Tatars, a Muslim minority group that has been living in Poland and Lithuania for centuries.
In 1953, she was a student at Adelaide High School in Australia. It was during this time that she crossed paths with Abdul Taib Mahmud, who was pursuing a degree in law at the University of Adelaide. The two fell in love and tied the knot on January 13, 1959, in Adelaide. She embraced Islam and adopted the name Laila.
Married Life
In 1961, Laila and Abdul Taib Mahmud relocated to Sarawak, where he embarked on his political journey. Their family consisted of four children: Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Taib, Mahmud Abu Bekir Taib, Hanifah Hajar Taib, and Jamilah Taib Murray, all of whom have achieved recognition in Sarawak and other areas.
Kids
Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Taib serves as the deputy president of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), which holds a prominent position in Sarawak. Additionally, he holds the title of chairman at Cahya Mata Sarawak (CMS), a diverse corporation involved in construction, real estate, cement, and energy. He is in a marital union with Anisa, a woman of Lebanese-British descent, and has a family of three offspring.
Mahmud Abu Bekir Taib holds the position of deputy chairman at CMS and is the chairman of Sarawak Energy, a government-owned power company. He is also the proprietor of multiple hotels and resorts in Malaysia and other countries. In 2011, he ended his marriage to Shahnaz Abdul Majid, a former model and actress, following a contentious legal dispute. He is the father of Raden Murya Abdul Taib Mahmud.
Hanifah Hajar Taib holds multiple roles including president of PBB Women’s Wing, MP for Mukah, and chairperson of Yayasan Sarawak which offers financial aid to students from Sarawak. She is wedded to Datuk Syed Ahmad Alwee Alsree, a businessman, and is the mother of four.
Jamilah Taib Murray, the president and founder of Sakto Corporation, a Canadian real estate firm, also serves as the chairperson for the Laila Taib Cancer Trust Fund, a charitable organization that supports those battling cancer in Sarawak. She is wedded to Sean Murray, a lawyer from Canada, and is a mother of four.
Career
Laila Taib’s reputation in Sarawak was built on her philanthropic and community efforts. She established and served as the leader of Sabati, a welfare organization for the wives of ministers and assistant ministers in Sarawak, starting in 1982. Additionally, she became the patron of Peryatim, a charity for orphans in Sarawak, in 1994.
She held the roles of vice-president and national women’s chief in the Malaysian Islamic Welfare Organization (Perkim). Additionally, she played a key role in founding the Laila Taib Cancer Trust Fund, which offers financial aid to Sarawak’s cancer patients.
In recognition of her accomplishments, Laila was honored with multiple awards. The Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak bestowed upon her the titles of Datuk Amar in 1988 and posthumously, Datuk Patinggi in 2009, through the Order of the Star of Hornbill Sarawak (D.A. and D.P.). Additionally, she received the Pingat Perkhidmatan Bakti (PPB) from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia in 1990.
How did Laila Taib die?
On April 29, 2009, Laila Taib passed away at her residence in Demak Jaya, Kuching, at the age of 68 as a result of heart cancer. The next day, she was laid to rest at Demak Jaya Cemetery. Thousands of individuals, including prominent figures, politicians, and members of the royal family, gathered to pay their respects at her funeral. In 2010, her husband, Abdul Taib Mahmud, married Raghad Kurdi Taib, a woman from Syria.
