Tun Haji Mohammed Fuad Stephens, a popular and charismatic Sabahan leader was initially known as Donald Aloysius Stephens.
He led an eventful and colourful life, in turn becoming the first local person to edit and publish a daily newspaper in the Colony; he was also the first Chief Minister of the State (1963), and progressed to being Minister for Sabah Affairs and was for a short time based in Kuala Lumpur. Then he was appointed to a successful posting in Canberra as Malaysia’s High Commissioner to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji; a position he and his family enjoyed from 1968 to 1973.
- During the transition from colony to State he was invested with the honour and title of Datuk (originally spelled Dato), and in 1970 in Canberra during the Agong’s birthday celebrations, is awarded the honour and title of Tan Sri.
- In January 1971, Tan Sri Donald Stephens takes his family home to Sabah on a surprise visit and they are all converted to Islam. Donald takes on the name of Mohammed Fuad, his wife June becomes Rahimah and their children, John, Richard, James, Heather and Elma become, respectively,Johari, Affendi, Asgari, Faridah and Fauziah.
- The Stephens family returns to Sabah in 1973, and he is invested as Head of State on 16 September,1973. In June the following year, again during the Agong’s birthday awards, he is awarded the honour that carries the title of Tun.
- In July 1975 the Tun resigns from his position as Head of State and becomes President of the newly formed BERJAYA party, and leads his party to election victory on 4 April 1976.
On 14 April 1976 Tun Fuad is once again sworn in as Chief Minister of his beloved Sabah. However, the personal victory is short lived as his entourage is killed in a plane crash near the airport in Kota Kinabalu, at about 3.00 pm on 06 June 1976. Included in the crash are his eldest son, Johari, and three ministers of his new government as well as one junior minister and three senior civil servants, his bodyguard and the pilot.
| 14 Sept 1920 | Born in Kudat, Sabah known as Donald Aloysius Marmaduke, third son to parents Jules and Edith Stephens. |
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| 1930 | Family moved briefly to Keningau and Donald and his elder brother attended vernacular school. Donald learnt to read Jawi script. |
| Family moved to Jesselton | |
| 1934 | Family moved to Sandakan but Donald stayed back in Jesselton to continue his schooling. |
| 1937 | He was awarded the Chee Swee Ching scholarship and diagnosed with leprosy. |
| 1940 | Donald’s disease appeared to have been spread out and he left for Singapore to study using his scholarship money but had to stop schooling after his scholarship funds depleted. He worked as an army clerk and later as a busboy in a Japanese restaurant. It was there he learnt to speak Japanese and was later promoted to the rank of a supervisor. He later joined the Singapore Civil Defence Corps and was promoted to the rank of Warrant Officer II (Sergeant) |
| 1945 | The fall of Singapore to the Japanese on February 15th. Donald returned to North Borneo |
| 1943 | Double-Tenth uprising begins on October 9th. Jules, Donald’s father was implicated and arrested. Donald later arrested for insulting the Japanese, after his connection with Jules is uncovered |
| 1944 | Donald’s father Jules is executed by Japanese firing squad at Petagas on January 20th. Donald was the last family member to see him alive. Edith, his mother begs the Japanese Kempetei to set Donald free. He was eventually released. A kindly Japanese civilian Takehana hires Donald to start a salt factory at the Likas beach. |
| 1945 | Donald starts writing for the North Borneo News. His leprosy worsens |
| 1946 | John Dusing spots an article in Reader’s Digest on sulfra drugs being used against leprosy in the Mayo Clinic. His friend Philip Lee Tau Sang initiated to raise the money to buy the drug. His brother Ben Stephens who is a qualified dresser assists to treat Donald. |
| 1947 | Donald responds to treatment and is cured. Donald and Ida are married. |
| 1948 | Donald, in Jesselton, is now regularly employed by the North Borneo News of Sandakan. He also writes columns under the pseudonyms of “Vox Populii’, ‘Walrus’ and ‘Roderick. |
| 1952 | Donald and Ida adopts a Chinese baby boy and names him John Benedict (later becomes known as Johari). Ben gives his brother 1,000 Straits Dollars. |
| 1953 | Donald starts the Sabah Times with the money. The Society of Kadazans is registered. He began to be actively involved with the Society and collaborated with Fred Sinidol to promote the Kadazan language and culture. Ida is diagnosed with tuberculosis. |
| 1954 | Donald with his former Sandakan employer merges his paper Sabah Times to create the North Borneo News and Sabah Times. |
| 1955 | Donald is nominated as an unofficial member Legislative Assembly (Lego) by Governor Turnbull. He also writes a lot of articles regarding Kadazan culture and traditions in his paper. |
| 1957 | He was appointed the Vice President of the Kadazan Society after attending the Society AGM. Ida dies on April 19th. Five months later in September, Donald notices June Lutter at the movie with a group of her friends and they were formally introduced. |
| 1958 | Donald marries Cecilia June Lutter on February 8th. Donald was also made President of the Society of Kadazans, a precursor of United National Kadazan Organisation (UNKO). |
| 1959 | Richard Bernard (later called Affendy) is born on January 3rd. The change of name for North Borneo to Sabah is first mooted by Donald. |
| 1960 | Harvest Festival or Pesta Menuai declared a public holiday for the first time by the British. Donald is bestowed the first modern day Huguan Siou which means ‘brave and paramount leader by Kadazan elders. James Denis (later called Asgari) is born on October 9th. |
| 1961 | In July the Malaysian Solidarity Consultative Committee of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association is proposed. The MSCC, as it is known, holds its first meeting and opposes the idea of forming Malaysia. They later changes their mind and become a strong proponent of Malaysia. |
| 1962 | Jean Heather (later called Faridah) is born on January 22nd. Cobbold Commission visits North Borneo from February to April. United Pasok Momogun Organisation (Pasok Momogun) was formed Report of Cobbold Commission published on August 1st. On August 30th, the Inter-governmental Committee (IGC) holds it first meeting. It is chaired by Lord Lansdowne. |
| 1963 | Donald is Sabah’s first Chief Minister, and is made a Dato’. Donald sits as head of the sovereign nation of Sabah for 16 days, from August 31st to September 15th. Sabah, with Malaya, Singapore and Sarawak form Malaysia on September 16th. |
| 1964 | Open talks between UNKO and Pasok Momogun leaders in April. The two parties agree to merge and hold their first meeting in June at which the name United Pasok Momogun Kadazan Organisation or UPKO is agreed upon. Young Aimah Eluk (baptized Elma and later named Fauziah), from a poor Rungus family in Bengkoka near Kudat is adopted by Donald and June.
Two Alliance crises erupt this year. Donald is forced to resign as Chief Minister on December 31st. |
| 1965 | Singapore leaves Malaysia on August 9th. |
| 1967 | State election in April. United Sabah National Organisation (USNO) and the Sabah Chinese Association SCA formed a coalition excluding UPKO. Mustapha becomes Chief Minister. UPKO is dissolved on December 28th. |
| 1968 | Donald takes up position as Malaysian High Commissioner to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji in July. The Stephens’s are based in Canberra. |
| 1969 | Donald becomes a Tan Sri in June. |
| 1970 | Donald takes his family home to Sabah in January. They convert to Islam. Donald becomes Mohammad Fuad. Donald and June (Fuad and Rahimah) perform the Haj. |
| 1973 | Fuad leaves Australia in July and returns to Sabah. He is sworn in as its Yang Di-Pertua Negeri or Head of State, a ceremonial position, in September. |
| 1974 | Fuad becomes a Tun in June. |
| 1975 | Fuad has a heart attack in January. Tun Razak talks to Fuad in March in London about overthrowing Tun Mustapha. Bersatu Rakyat Jelata (BERJAYA) germinates and is formed on July 15th with Harris Salleh as its President. Fuad resigns form his post of Negara on July 28th and takes on BERJAYA Presidency. Harris Salleh his deputy. |
| 1976 | BERJAYA wins State elections late on April 14th. Fuad is once again Chief Minister of Sabah. On June 5th, Fuad hosts a dinner for Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, Petronas Chairman and Malaysian Finance Minister, in Labuan.
On June 6th, at about 3 pm, Fuad, Johari and nine others perish when their Nomad aircraft plummets into the sea near Sembulan. Less than nine hours later, just before midnight, swollen-eyed Deputy Chief Minister, Harris Salleh takes over as Sabah’s Chief Minister. BERJAYA leads Sabah for the ensuing nine years. Tun Fuad Stephens is buried on June 7th and was the first of Sabah’s leaders to be buried in the Warriors’ Mausoleum at the State Mosque in Kota Kinabalu. A monument is built at the site of the plane crash to honour the eleven who perished there on June 6th 1976. |
| 1998 | October 26th. Nominated by the Sabah Journalists’ Association (SJA), Tun Fuad is posthumously awarded the Malaysian Press Institute’s Tokoh Wartawan Negara (Outstanding Journalist Award) for pioneering journalism in Sabah. The award was presented by Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad and was received by Toh Puan Rahimah Stephens in Kuala Lumpur. |