1. Overview
Muhammad Fuad Stephens, born Donald Aloysius Marmaduke Stephens, was a prominent Malaysian politician who significantly shaped the early history of Sabah. He served as the first and fifth Chief Minister of Sabah, the third Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sabah (Governor), and Malaysia's High Commissioner to Australia. As the first Huguan Siou or Paramount Leader of the Kadazandusun community, he played a pivotal role in negotiating Sabah's independence and its entry into the Federation of Malaysia in 1963. Initially hesitant about Sabah joining the Federation, he eventually became a key proponent. His political career was tragically cut short on June 6, 1976, when he died in the controversial "Double Six Crash" in Kota Kinabalu, just 54 days into his second term as Chief Minister.
2. Early Life and Background
2.1. Birth and Family Origins
Muhammad Fuad Stephens was born on September 14, 1920, in Kudat, then part of North Borneo. He was originally named Donald Aloysius Marmaduke Stephens. His father, Jules Stephen Pavitt (later known as Jules Pavitt Stephens, Snr.), was of mixed heritage, being half-Kadazan and half-British. Jules was born and raised in the Papar district of North Borneo. Jules' father, Ernest Alfred Pavitt, was born in Akaroa, New Zealand, with ancestral roots in Colchester, Essex, England, United Kingdom. When Ernest Alfred Pavitt left North Borneo to live in New Zealand, Jules adopted "Stephens" as his surname, dropping "Pavitt." Stephens' mother, Edith Cope, was of mixed Japanese, British, and Dusun ancestry from Kinabatangan, Sandakan.
Stephens was the eldest of six children. He had two younger sisters, Esther (born in 1928) and Agnes (born in 1930), and three younger brothers. Two of his brothers, John and Martin, died in infancy. His youngest brother, Leo Benedict Stephens, born in 1926, later achieved prominence as the President of the Dewan Negara from 1985 to 1988, among other accomplishments.
3. Political Career
Muhammad Fuad Stephens' political career was marked by his foundational role in Sabah's self-determination and integration into Malaysia, as well as his subsequent leadership positions at both state and federal levels.
3.1. Founding of UNKO and Role in Malaysia Formation
Donald Stephens founded the United National Kadazan Organisation (UNKO) in August 1961. He was instrumental in the negotiations for Sabah's independence and the formation of Malaysia, serving as a member of the Malaysia Solidarity Consultative Committee. He worked closely with other key figures such as Tun Mustapha of the United Sabah National Organisation (USNO), Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore, and Tunku Abdul Rahman, who was then the Prime Minister of Malaya. Although he initially harbored reservations about Sabah joining the Federation, he was gradually convinced to support the initiative, recognizing the British government's concerns about regional stability and their post-World War II policy of decolonization.
The Federation of Malaysia was officially established on September 16, 1963, a date now celebrated as Malaysia Day. Following this, Stephens became Sabah's first Chief Minister. UNKO, in alliance with USNO and the Sabah Chinese Association (SCA), formed the Sabah Alliance coalition to govern the newly independent state.
3.2. Chief Minister of Sabah (First Term)
Stephens' first tenure as Chief Minister of Sabah began on September 16, 1963. He served in this capacity until December 31, 1964, when he was compelled to resign from the position. He was succeeded by Peter Lo Sui Yin of the Sabah Chinese Association.
3.3. Federal Minister and High Commissioner
After stepping down as Chief Minister in 1964, Donald Stephens became the first Malaysian federal cabinet member from Sabah, serving as the minister in charge of Sabah affairs under the Prime Minister's department. Later, from 1968 to 1973, he served as Malaysia's High Commissioner to Australia.
3.4. Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sabah
In 1973, Muhammad Fuad Stephens was appointed as the third Yang di-Pertua Negara of Sabah, a position equivalent to Governor. He held this office until 1975. The title of the post was subsequently downgraded to Yang di-Pertua Negeri after 1976.
3.5. Founding of BERJAYA and 1976 Election Victory
In 1975, Tun Fuad Stephens, along with Harris Salleh, co-founded a new political party, the Sabah People's United Front (BERJAYA). This party contested the 1976 state election, where Tun Fuad Stephens himself successfully ran for the N15 Kiulu constituency against Datuk Payar Juman from USNO. BERJAYA achieved a significant victory, winning 28 out of 48 seats in the Sabah State Legislative Assembly, thereby unseating Tun Mustapha's USNO and forming the new state government.
3.6. Chief Minister of Sabah (Second Term)
Following BERJAYA's triumph in the 1976 state elections, Tun Fuad Stephens was sworn in as Sabah's fifth Chief Minister on April 15, 1976. His second term in office was tragically brief, lasting only 54 days until his untimely death on June 6, 1976.
4. Political Vision and Leadership
As the first Huguan Siou or Paramount Leader of the Kadazandusun community, Muhammad Fuad Stephens held a distinct vision for Sabah's place within the Malaysian Federation. He viewed Malaysia as a federation of four equal partners: Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore, rather than a union where Sabah and Sarawak had less autonomy compared to the eleven states that constituted the Federation of Malaya.
Following Singapore's secession from Malaysia in 1965, Stephens sought a review of Sabah's terms of entry into the federation. He argued that Sabah had joined Malaysia partly to facilitate the merger of multi-ethnic Malaya and Chinese-centric Singapore, as the number of Chinese across the two causeways significantly outnumbered Malays, and Sabah and Sarawak's Malay and indigenous populations helped balance this demographic. With Singapore's departure, he questioned the continued necessity of Sabah's participation, though he was not explicitly advocating for secession. This proposal, however, was rejected by the federal government, which feared that such a move could jeopardize the stability of the entire federation.
Stephens also had a notable, albeit unfulfilled, political aspiration concerning national leadership. It was an "open secret" that he and Lee Kuan Yew, the then Prime Minister of Singapore, had discussed a future where Lee would become the Prime Minister of Malaysia, with Stephens serving as Deputy Prime Minister, and subsequently, Stephens would succeed Lee as Prime Minister. This notion, particularly the idea of a Chinese individual leading Malaysia, surprised Stephens. However, these ambitions were rendered moot with Singapore's withdrawal from the Federation on August 9, 1965. Despite his initial strong opposition to Malaysia, Stephens' eventual conditional surrender contributed to the defeat of Sedoman Gunsanad, who was a staunch opponent of the federation.
5. Personal Life
5.1. Conversion to Islam
Donald Stephens converted to Islam on January 7, 1971, while serving as Malaysia's High Commissioner to Australia. He converted along with his wife and five children at the residence of Tun Mustapha. Stephens publicly stated that he and Mustapha had become "blood brothers" after pricking their fingers in August 1969, and their families maintained close ties. He viewed Islam as a unifying force that could bring prosperity and happiness to Sabah and Malaysia as a whole. Upon his conversion, he adopted the name 'Muhammad Fuad'; the latter name, Fuad, means "heart" in Arabic (فؤادFuadArabic). Although he was advised to renounce his original surname, Stephens firmly declined to do so.
5.2. Family Life
Muhammad Fuad Stephens was married to Toh Puan Rahimah Stephens. She passed away on March 14, 2022, at the age of 92, due to a heart attack after a fall at her home. Rahimah was a notable political figure in her own right, serving as Sabah's State Minister of Welfare and a Member of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Kiulu. She was the first woman to be appointed to a state ministerial position in Sabah. Her funeral was held at the Kampung Likas Muslim Cemetery in the presence of close family members. Among their children was Johari Tun Fuad Stephens, who tragically perished alongside his father in the Double Six Crash.
6. The Double Six Crash
6.1. Circumstances and Victims
On June 6, 1976, an event known as the "Double Six Crash" occurred, claiming the lives of Muhammad Fuad Stephens and several key members of his newly formed Sabah state cabinet. The incident involved a GAF Nomad aircraft, an Australian-made plane, operated by Sabah Air. The flight originated from Labuan and was en route to Kota Kinabalu International Airport. Approximately 1.2 mile (2 km) from the airport, the plane crashed in the Kampung Sembulan area of Kota Kinabalu, killing all 11 people on board, including the crew.
The prominent individuals who perished in the crash were:
- Chief Minister of Sabah, Tun Mohd Fuad Stephens
- State Minister of Local Government, Datuk Peter Mojuntin
- Minister of Communications and Works, Datuk Chong Thain Vun
- State Minister of Finance, Datuk Salleh Sulong
- Assistant Minister to the Deputy Chief Minister, Darius Binion
- Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Wahid Peter Andau
- Director of Sabah State Economic Planning Unit, Dr Syed Hussein Wafa
- Private Secretary to Malaysian Finance Minister Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, Ishak Atan
- Bodyguard to Tun Fuad, Corporal Said Mohammad
- Pilot, Gandhi J Nathan
- Johari Tun Fuad Stephens, Tun Fuad Stephens' son
The site of the plane crash is now marked by the Double Six Monument, a memorial constructed shortly after the accident. It is located in the Sembulan area near the Grace Garden housing complex in Kota Kinabalu, across Jalan Coastal Highway from the Sutera Harbour resort. Tun Fuad Stephens' body was interred at the State Mausoleum near the Sabah State Mosque in Kota Kinabalu.
6.2. Causes and Controversies
The official findings regarding the cause of the Double Six Crash indicated that the GAF Nomad aircraft was overloaded, carrying 11 individuals despite being designed for only 6 passengers. It was also suggested that the pilot failed to adequately raise the plane's wings to adjust for oil pressure, which contributed to the accident. Following this tragedy, the government implemented a policy discouraging a large number of VIPs from traveling on the same aircraft simultaneously.
The incident is surrounded by various theories and unresolved controversies, with allegations of intervention from the Malaysian federal government. These speculations stem from several factors:
- Tun Fuad Stephens was seen as a proponent of Sabah's autonomy and, like Singapore, might have considered secession from the Malaysian Federation.
- He was perceived as being at odds with the Malaysian federal government.
- He advocated for a higher oil royalty of 20% for Sabah, which would have significantly impacted federal revenues.
However, these remain unconfirmed speculations, and direct government involvement has never been definitively proven. An investigative team of four individuals from Australia, the country of the aircraft's origin, examined the crash site shortly after the incident. Their preliminary findings suggested some mechanical malfunction. However, this was an interim investigation, and a more detailed inquiry was not conducted, leaving the precise cause of the crash officially undetermined.
Notably, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, who was the Malaysian Finance Minister at the time, was initially scheduled to be on the same flight. However, at the last minute, he was asked by then-Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Harris Mohd. Salleh to disembark and attend the inauguration of a cattle farm project in Pulau Banggi, Kudat. Upon landing in Kudat, Tengku Razaleigh, who had flown on the same type of aircraft, was advised to stay away from the plane due to concerns about potential similar issues. After receiving news of the crash, Tengku Razaleigh and Harris Salleh were flown to Kota Kinabalu by military helicopter.
7. Legacy and Honors
Muhammad Fuad Stephens left a profound and lasting impact on Sabah and Malaysia. His contributions to the formation of Malaysia and his leadership in Sabah are widely recognized through various posthumous titles and commemorations.
7.1. Posthumous Titles and Commemorations
Tun Fuad Stephens was posthumously honored with the titles Bapa Malaysia Dari Sabah (Father of Malaysia From Sabah) and Huguan Siou, acknowledging his pivotal role in Sabah's integration into Malaysia and his leadership of the Kadazandusun community.
Numerous places, institutions, and landmarks across Malaysia have been named in his honor:
- Tun Fuad Stephens Park, a public park in Kota Kinabalu.
- SMK Tun Fuad Stephens, a secondary school located in Kiulu, Tamparuli, Tuaran.
- SMK Taman Tun Fuad, another secondary school in Kota Kinabalu.
- Jalan Tun Fuad Stephens, a major highway within the Kota Kinabalu metropolitan area, connecting Kota Kinabalu and Sepanggar.
- Jalan Tun Mohd Fuad, a road situated in the Taman Tun Dr Ismail area of Kuala Lumpur.
- SK Tun Fuad, a primary school in Kunak, Tawau Division.
- Dewan Tun Fuad Stephens, the main community hall for the Penampang District, located in Donggongon, Penampang.
- Maktab Rendah Sains Mara Tun Muhammad Fuad Stephens, a government-owned elite boarding school in Sandakan.
- Wisma Tun Fuad Stephens, a state government building complex in Kota Kinabalu.
- Kolej Kediaman Tun Fuad Stephens, one of the student residential areas within University Malaysia Sabah.
7.2. Honors and Awards
During his lifetime, Muhammad Fuad Stephens received several significant federal and state honors, orders, and titles:
- Malaysia:**
- Commander of the Order of Loyalty to the Crown of Malaysia (PSM) - Awarded in 1970, which carries the title Tan Sri.
- Grand Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (SMN) - Awarded in 1975, which carries the highest federal title of Tun.
- Sabah:**
- Grand Commander of the Order of Kinabalu (SPDK) - Awarded in 1963, which carries the title Datuk Seri Panglima.
- Sarawak:**
- Knight Commander of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of Sarawak (PNBS) - Awarded in 1964, which carries the title Dato.