Fuad Stephens
Yang Amat Berbahagia Tun Muhammad Fuad Stephens | |
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1st Chief Minister of Sabah | |
In office 1963–1964 | |
Preceded by | None |
Succeeded by | Peter Lo Sui Yin |
5th Chief Minister of Sabah | |
In office 1976–1976 | |
Preceded by | Tun Mustapha |
Succeeded by | Harris Salleh |
3rd Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sabah | |
In office 1973–1975 | |
Preceded by | Tun Pengiran Ahmad Raffae |
Succeeded by | Tun Mohd Hamdan Abdullah |
Personal details | |
Born |
Donald Aloysius Marmaduke Stephens 14 September 1920 |
Died |
6 June 1976 55) Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia | (aged
Political party | United National Kadazan Organisation, BERJAYA |
Spouse(s) |
Ida (married 1950; widowed 1957)[1] Hajah Rahimah (Cecilia June Lutter)[2] |
Children |
Johari (John Benedict; adopted–1952-1976)[3] Affendi (Richard Bernard; 1958–2009) Asgari (James Denis; born 1960) Faridah (Jean Heather; born 1962) Fauziah (Elma; born 1964)[4] |
Religion |
Roman Catholic (1920–1970) Sunni Islam (1971–1976)[4] |
Tun Muhammad Fuad Stephens, (born Donald Aloysius Marmaduke Stephens) was the first Chief Minister of the state of Sabah in Malaysia, and the first Huguan Siou or Paramount Leader of the Kadazandusun community. He played a fundamental role in bringing the state of Sabah into the Federation of Malaysia in 1963. He held the chief minister post until 1964, and again in 1976. During his second term as Chief Minister he died in a controversial accident on 6 June 1976, in Kota Kinabalu, the state capital of Sabah. He was a passenger in an Australian made Nomad aircraft which crashed and killed everyone on board. His body was buried at the State Mausoleum near the Sabah State Mosque, Kota Kinabalu.
Early life
Stephens was born on 14 September 1920. His father, Jules Stephens Pavitt, was half Kadazan and half British, while his mother Edith Cope was half Japanese and half British.[5] Stephens had 5 siblings; 2 younger sisters and 3 younger brothers. Two of them, John and Martin died in infancy. A third, Leo Benedict was born in 1926, later became the President of the Dewan Negara between 1985–1988.[6]
Political career
Donald Stephens founded the political party United National Kadazan Organisation (UNKO) in August 1961. He played a key role in negotiating the independence of Sabah and the formation of Malaysia, together with Tun Mustapha of United Sabah National Organisation (USNO), and Tunku Abdul Rahman, the then Prime Minister of Malaya. The formation of Malaysia was finally achieved on 16 September 1963, which is today known as Malaysia Day. He became Sabah's first Chief Minister.
In 1964, Donald Stephens stepped down as Chief Minister to become the first Malaysian federal cabinet member from Sabah. He was replaced by Peter Lo Sui Yin from the Sabah Chinese Association. Stephens became the minister in charge of Sabah affairs under the Prime Minister's department.[7]
In 1973, Fuad Stephens was appointed as the governor of Sabah, known as the Yang di-Pertua Negara (the post was later known as Yang di-Pertua Negeri).[8] He held this position until 1975. Later that same year, Tun Fuad Stephens together with Harris Salleh formed the new political party BERJAYA. They won the 1976 state election, defeating Tun Mustapha's USNO and becoming the new government of Sabah. Tun Fuad Stephens became Sabah's fifth Chief Minister. Forty-four days later, he died in a plane crash.
Ambitions to be Prime Minister
It is an open secret in Sabah that Singapore chief minister Lee Kuan Yew told Stephens that he (Lee) would be prime minister of Malaysia after Tunku and that Stephens would be made deputy prime minister. After Lee, Stephens would then be Prime Minister. Stephens' about-turn surprised the Dusun who, like the Chinese, were in the majority and opposed to Malaysia. His agreement, however, sealed their fate.
Patently, it was Tunku who prevailed upon Lee to persuade Stephens to drop his opposition to Malaysia. Stephens was then very much influenced by Orang Kaya Kaya (OKK) Sedomon Gunsanad of Keningau who was strongly opposed to Malaysia. Stephens' capitulation broke Sedomon who died within three years of Malaysia.
Stephens wanted a review of Sabah's participation in Malaysia after Singapore's exit. His reasoning was that it was because of Singapore that Sabah joined Malaysia and now that the island was out of the federation, there was no longer any reason for the Borneo state to continue to be in the federation. Stephens was referring to the DPM idea, but in public it was pointed out that Sabah and Sarawak opted for Malaysia to facilitate the merger of Chinese Singapore and multiracial Malaya. The Chinese population across both sides of the causeway was greater than the Malay numbers and this was to be compensated by the Malay and other native numbers in Sabah and Sarawak through Malaysia.
Plane crash
On 6 June 1976 ("Double Six"), Tun Fuad Stephens and several cabinet members boarded a flight from Labuan heading towards Kota Kinabalu. About 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from Kota Kinabalu International Airport, the plane crashed killing everyone on board.
The site of the plane crash is marked by a memorial constructed not long after the accident. The site is located in the Sembulan area near the Grace Garden housing complex in Kota Kinabalu across Jalan Coastal Highway from Sutera Harbour resort.
Personal life
Stephens converted to Islam in January 1971, and he adopted the name Muhammad Fuad, meaning soul or spirit in Arabic. Stephens was also encouraged to renounce his surname at the time of his conversion, but he had refused to do so.[4] For a number of years he held the post of High Commissioner of Malaysia in Australia.
Legacy
Awards
- Tun Fuad Stephens was posthumously granted the soubriquet Bapa Malaysia Dari Sabah (Father of Malaysia From Sabah) and Hugon Siou.
Places after him
Several places were named after him, including:
- Taman Tun Fuad Stephens a public garden in Kota Kinabalu.
- Taman Tun Fuad a township at Kota Kinabalu.
- SMK Tun Fuad Stephens, a secondary school at Kiulu and Tamparuli.
- SMK Taman Tun Fuad, a secondary school at Kota Kinabalu
- Jalan Tun Fuad Stephens a major highway linking Kota Kinabalu and Sepanggar.
- Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad a road at Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur.
- SK Tun Fuad, a primary school at Kunak.
- Maktab Rendah Sains Mara Tun Muhammad Fuad Stephens, at Sandakan
References
Bibliography
- P. J. Granville-Edge (1999). The Sabahan: The Life and Death of Tun Fuad Stephens. Family of the late Tun Fuad Stephens. ISBN 9834011407.
External links
Political offices | ||
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New creation | Chief Minister of Sabah 1963–1964 |
Succeeded by Peter Lo Sui Yin |
Preceded by Pengiran Ahmad Raffae Pengiran Othman |
Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sabah 1973–1975 |
Succeeded by Muhammad Hamdan Abdullah |
Preceded by Tun Said Keruak |
Chief Minister of Sabah April 1976 – June 1976 |
Succeeded by Harris Salleh |
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