Adenan Satem

Adenan bin Satem (; 27 January 1944 – 11 January 2017), popularly known as Tok Nan, was a Malaysian politician and lawyer who served as the fifth chief minister of Sarawak from 2014 until his death in January 2017. A president of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu during his tenure as chief minister, he represented Tanjong Datu in Sarawak State Legislative Assembly from 2006 to 2017.

Born in Kuching during the Empire of Japan, Adenan graduated from University of Adelaide. He is commonly known as the Father of Sarawak Unity (Bapa Perpaduan Sarawak).

Early life and education Adenan bin Satem was born on 27 January 1944 in Kuching, Sarawak, during the Japanese occupation near the end of World War II. He was the son of Satem Sulong, a Malay from Kampung Bandarsah in Kuching, and a customs officer who served under the British colonial administration and was later appointed as a counsellor to the Cobbold Commission during the formation of Malaysia in the early 1960s. In 1964, after completing his Higher School Certificate (HSC) with distinction, Adenan worked as a temporary teacher and later joined the Sarawak Tribune as a reporter for six months. Adenan pursued legal studies at the University of Adelaide, South Australia. In 1969, after completing his legal studies, Adenan began his professional career as a prosecutor at the Crown Law Office in Adelaide. After graduating in 1970, he was appointed a Magistrate for one year and later served as assistant secretary at the Ministry of Primary Industries from 1972 to 1974.

Political career Adenan's political involvement was closely associated with Abdul Taib Mahmud, a prominent Sarawakian political figure at that time and later his brother-in-law. In 1972, Adenan married Aisha Zainab, the sister of Abdul Taib. In 1973, Adenan left the judiciary and joined the Ministry of Natural Resources in Kuala Lumpur as an assistant secretary, where he worked alongside Abdul Taib. Adenan formally entered electoral politics in 1978 when he was selected as the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for a by-election in the Muara Tuang state constituency. He won the election by a majority of 2,797 votes, defeating Razali Sabang of PAJAR. He retained the seat in the 1979 Sarawak state election with an increased majority of 3,422 votes and again in 1983, defeating independent candidate Abang Ibrahim Abang Othman with a majority of 3,696 votes. Adenan continued to represent Muara Tuang in the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly until 2006, when he contested and won the Tanjong Datu seat. On 28 February 2014, after leading the state for 33 years, Abdul Taib officially resigned and named Adenan, also his advisor, as his successor. Adenan received the letter of appointment, took the oath of office, and signed the pledge of allegiance before Governor Abang Muhammad Salahuddin.

Following his resignation, Abdul Taib was appointed as the governor, succeeding Abang Muhammad Salahuddin whose term had ended. The appointment of Adenan as chief minister received support from former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who described him as "a suitable choice due to his extensive experience in both state and federal government administration."

Relationship with Peninsular Malaysia As a chief minister, he clashed with federal government from time to time despite his party being part of the ruling federal coalition. He spoke openly about strengthening Sarawak's autonomy and called for higher state's share of petroleum royalty, much to the consternation of Putrajaya and the national oil company Petronas. Among other issues he disagreed with the federal government included official recognition for Unified Examination Certificate (UEC). During his capacity as chief minister, he also announced that Sarawak has adopted English as the official language of the state's administration, apart from Bahasa Malaysia. Malay language activists have criticised Adenan for making English as one of the official languages of Sarawak. Najib Razak, the then head of the federal government responded positively to demands made by Sarawak. He also appointed a committee, co-chaired by Nancy Shukri (Sarawak) an Anifah Aman (Sabah) to study the devolution of powers to Sabah and Sarawak under federal constitution. At the same time, the federal government leaders was preoccupied with various issues such as resignation of deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin for protesting against 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal, Sabah State Water Department corruption probe, and economic slowdown due to low prices of raw materials. Other leaders such as Mohamad Sabu and Azmin Ali stated that Najib had failed to check Adenan from demanding more from the federal government.

Despite the regional sentiment, Adenan is opposed to the idea of secession from Malaysia as "it was the wisest decision made by Sarawak 53 years ago". In 2013, he experienced a heart-related illness that required medical treatment at National Heart Institute in Kuala Lumpur and National Heart Centre Singapore. He also encouraged others, including senior colleagues, to consider making similar lifestyle changes.

Death On 11 January 2017, Adenan died of heart attack at the Sarawak Heart Centre, Kota Samarahan, aged 72 years old. The untimely demise is the first occurrence to a serving Sarawak Chief Minister. He was laid to rest at Samariang Muslim Cemetery in Kuching.

His death was mourned by Sarawakians throughout the week, and many leaders attended his funeral in Kuching.

Credentials His other credentials were: Chairman of Sarawak Foundation (1998–2017) Chairman of Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus Council (2004–2017) Chairman of the Sarawak Malay Culture Foundation (Amanah Khairat Yayasan Budaya Melayu Sarawak) Board of directors for Sarawak Higher Education Foundation (SHEF) Board member of the Curtin University, Malaysia Chairman, Natural Resources and Environment Board Sarawak (NREB) Pro-Chancellor of the Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus (2014–2017)

Honours Honours of Malaysia