More than 500 attend funeral of Patau Rubis

comments     Bernama     Published     Updated

Parti Reformasi Sarawak (Star) founder Patau Rubis, who died at the Sarawak General Hospital (HUS) on Sunday, was laid to rest at the SDA Kampung Kaman Church cemetery in Krokong Bau in Bau.

Patau, 69, former Sarawak deputy finance minister and public utilities minister during the era of Sarawak chief minister Abdul Taib Mahmud, collapsed while chairing the Star annual general meeting at a hotel in Bau on Sunday at about 4pm and died one hour later at the HUS.

More than 500 people paid their last respects to him. His close friend, Aga @ Alim Mideh said the funeral rites began with the ‘Gawia Mori’ ritual at his residence at No 302 Jalan Batu Kawa, Kuching and his remains were later taken to the cemetery for burial.

He said that the ‘Gawia Silaman’ ritual would be held tonight at his residence.

Before setting up Star, Patau had been a vice-president of Parti Kebangsaan Sarawak (Snap), a component party of Barisan Nasional (BN) but was removed from the post as he was alleged to have supported an Independent candidate who contested against the BN in the 1995 parliamentary election, and subsequently he was dropped from the Sarawak cabinet.

He later founded and helmed Star, which was set up on Oct 9, 1996.

Patau was a former state assemblyperson for Tasik Biru until 1996 and a Member of Parliament for Mas Gading until 1999. Both constituencies are in the Bau district.

However, he failed to defend his Tasik Biru constituency in the 1996 state election and also lost the Mas Gading seat in the 1999 general election.

Before venturing into politics, Patau was the Sarawak deputy director of Health since 1982.

He is survived by his wife and two children.

- Bernama



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