Fuad Stephens: Sabah’s founding father remembered by his son

Asgari Stephens, son of the late Fuad Stephens, described his father’s dedication to family life alongside his political work in Sabah, Malaysia.

Fuad Stephens, known as ‘Bapa Malaysia dari Sabah’ (Father of Malaysia from Sabah), played a key role in negotiating the formation of Malaysia and served as Sabah’s first chief minister.

Despite his public duties, he prioritised time with his family, often going on picnics and spending time by the sea, and instilled values of honesty and community service in his children. Fuad, of Eurasian-Kadazan descent, embraced Islam with his family in 1971 while maintaining strong ties to the Kadazan community, who named him ‘Huguan Siou’, their highest leader.

He envisioned a more inclusive and merit-based Sabah, focused on developing the skills of its people, and initially approached the idea of forming Malaysia with caution. He believed a union between Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore would create a necessary balance of power. Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore greatly influenced Fuad to support the creation of Malaysia, and the two leaders worked together to determine how Sabah and Singapore would participate in the new nation.

However, Singapore’s departure from Malaysia in 1965 deeply saddened Fuad, who expressed feelings of betrayal in a letter to Lee. Tragically, Fuad Stephens died in a plane crash in 1976, along with his eldest son and several other government officials, an event known as the ‘Double Six’ tragedy, cutting short his second term as chief minister. His son, Asgari, believes that if circumstances had been different, Sabah might be in a better economic state today.