SARAWAK Astana has again assured that Governor Abdul Taib Mahmud’s health is improving and that he will go home once his doctors approve him for travel.

“On behalf of the Astana, once again we would like to assure the people of Sarawak that Tun’s condition has been improving and, God willing, and with his doctors advice, he will come home very soon,” the governor’s private secretary Junih Salleh Ahmad said.

Rebutting continued social media posts – one “announcement” bearing the logo of broadcaster Astro Awani – that the 87 year-old had died, Junih in a statement today appealed to the Sarawak people not to be “easily hoodwinked by unverified news amid speculations on Tun’s current health”.

Awani yesterday denied ownership of the announcement and dismissed it as fake news. In a post on its website, it said the black-and-white poster with its logo and the al-Fatihah was not true.

The broadcaster nonetheless apologised to the governor’s family.

On Tuesday, the Sarawak government said Taib had fallen ill while out of the country, but was still able to discharge his duties.

Deputy Minister in the Sarawak Premier’s Office Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali in a statement said since Taib was able to perform his duties, there was no need for the government to appoint an acting head of state.

She said Taib is recuperating.

“The government is regularly informed of his medical status and the state government’s further action will be guided by the constitution and the interests of the state,” she said.

The governor’s health has been widely speculated about in social media, with Astana having lodged police reports against those claiming he has died.

Taib has held office since March 2014. – August 3, 2023.