The mass media in Sarawak have been urged not to provide outgoing Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud with any coverage unless they are invited to do so.

Sarawak Information Department director Samuel Simon said in a notice to the press that his department would inform them if the chief minister was to make any announcement or if a function required coverage.

"This department has been instructed by the Chief Minister's Office to seek the cooperation (of the recipients of the notice) to not provide coverage, at all times, on the chief minister unless there is notification to do so," the notice states.

The state government is capable of exerting pressure on newspapers operating in Sarawak, unlike in the peninsula where the Home Ministry is the ultimate authority.

It is learnt that some news organisations have been closely trailing Taib's movements, to the point of keeping vigil in front of his official residence in Petra Jaya.

The media was invited to two functions this afternoon at which Taib was present, but not invited to a Chinese New Year event tonight, organised by the Sarawak Chinese Chambers of Commerce.

Since word of Taib's impending resignation broke out, he has not made any formal statements to the press, beyond a short doorstop interview yesterday.

Taib is believed to have engineered a succession plan that would see him replaced by a loyalist, while he will take over as the Sarawak governor on Feb 28.

As governor, he will have a certain amount of clout in the state and will have a seat in the federal Council of Rulers.