20 Facts About Fuad Stephens

Fuad Stephens played a role in bringing Sabah into the Federation of Malaysia in 1963.

Fuad Stephens held the chief minister's post from 16 September 1963 until 31 December 1964 when he was forced to resign; and again in 1976 for 54 days from 15 April.

Fuad Stephens was a passenger in an Australian made Nomad aircraft which crashed and killed everyone on board, including his son Johari.

Fuad Stephens's body was buried at the State Mausoleum near the Sabah State Mosque, Kota Kinabalu.

Fuad Stephens had five siblings; two younger sisters and three younger brothers.

Donald Fuad Stephens founded the political party United National Kadazan Organisation in August 1961.

Fuad Stephens played a key role in negotiating the independence of Sabah and the formation of Malaysia, together with Tun Mustapha of United Sabah National Organisation, Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore and Tunku Abdul Rahman, the then Prime Minister of Malaya.

Fuad Stephens became Sabah's first Chief Minister as UNKO together with USNO and Sabah Chinese Association formed the Sabah Alliance coalition to rule the new Government of Sabah.

In 1964, Donald Fuad Stephens stepped down as Chief Minister to become the first Malaysian federal cabinet member from Sabah.

Fuad Stephens was replaced by Peter Lo Sui Yin of SCA.

Fuad Stephens became the minister in charge of Sabah affairs under the Prime Minister's department.

Fuad Stephens saw Malaysia as the federation of four countries - Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore - as equal partners, as opposed to the eleven states making up the Federation of Malaya, which had less autonomy.

In 1973, Fuad Stephens was appointed as the governor of Sabah, known as the Yang di-Pertua Negara.

Fuad Stephens converted to Islam on 7 January 1971, while he was a Malaysian High Commissioner to Australia, together with his wife and five children at Tun Mustapha's residence.

Fuad Stephens said that he and Mustapha were "blood brothers" when they pricked their fingers in August 1969.

Fuad Stephens considered the religion to be a unification factor in Sabah and in Malaysia as a whole to bring prosperity and happiness to the country.

Fuad Stephens was encouraged to renounce his surname at the time of his conversion but declined to do so.

On 14 March 2022, his widow Toh Puan Rahimah Fuad Stephens died of a heart attack at a private hospital where she was admitted after a fall at her house at the age of 92.

Fuad Stephens was the first woman to be appointed to the state ministerial position.

Fuad Stephens was later laid to rest at the Kampung Likas Muslim Cemetery.