Stephens and Malaysia

By Joe Fernandez March 12, 2011
as posted HERE http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com.my
Dr Mahathir Mohamad would have done well to address the issues connected with the formation of Malaysia in his memoir and laid the ghosts of the past to rest once and for all.

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad writes in his just-released memoir, "A Doctor in the House", that Singapore Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew wanted to be prime minister of Malaysia.

Mahathir may have been speaking the truth for a change although he's not quite right, considering his ethnic Indian origins, for implying that Lee was wrong to harbour such ambitions.
If Lee is to be faulted, it can be more on the grounds that he was "before his time" as he still remains today and for dragging Sabah into the Malaysian Federation.

He could also be faulted for being naïve enough to be taken in by then Malayan prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman. Euphoria, no doubt, made Lee momentarily lose his usual good judgment of situations and character.

It's an open secret in Sabah that Lee told Huguansiou (paramount chief) Donald Fuad Stephens that he (Lee) would be prime minister of Malaysia after Tunku and that Stephens would be made deputy prime minister.

Stephens was ecstati when he heard this and screamed from the aircraft door, upon his return to Kota Kinabalu, "Malaysia bagus" (Malaysia is good) in flashing the "very good" sign. Stephens' about-turn surprised the Dusun who, like the Chinese, were in the
majority and opposed to Malaysia.

His agreement, however, sealed their fate and they went along very much in the manner of the tribal society they were then and are still today. This is the reason that the Kitingan brothers, Pairin and Jeffrey, can still run circles around the Dusun and call the shots in and out of
government.

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. It's not known why the Tunku, who was no fan of Lee either, turned to the Singapore leader to work on Stephens.

One reason could be that the Tunku had an even more intense dislike for Stephens, confirmed by the late chief minister Mustapha Harun who told this writer during his last days that the Tunku advised him more than once "not to trust that Serani (Eurasian)." Stephens was partly Australian, besides being Kadazan (urban Dusun), and also had some Japanese blood.

DPM idea - We can only ask Lee how the conversation between him and the Tunku went before
the former accepted the mandate to persuade Stephens.

It would not be surprising, however, to discover that the Tunku himself planted the "Prime
Minister" idea in Lee's head. It would be unthinkable to consider that Lee was so dishonest as to go fishing for Stephens with the "DPM" bait. Singapore could have done well with or without Malaysia and there was no great need to drag Sabah into it.

When a group of Sabahans called on Lee last year at his office, he was asked by one of them about the "great mystery" behind Stephens' capitulation to Malaysia and whether he had "any regrets". Lee reportedly hung his head suddenly in apparent regret for several moments before looking up and giving a non-answer.

His facial expressions and body language told all. It is among many of Lee's regrets, apart from initially rejecting the idea of Formula 1 and casinos, that Sabah found itself locked in Malaysia along with Sarawak when Singapore was ushered out of the new federation by Parliament in
Kuala Lumpur.

Singapore clearly was booted out from the federation for two reasons: to thwart Lee's prime ministerial ambitions, and the MCA's fear of Lee's People's Action Party (PAP) in the battle for Chinese votes in Peninsular Malaysia.

Stephens, not surprisingly, 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 privately as the old timers tell it, 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.

Kuala Lumpur would have none of it and eventually bundled Stephens into exile in Australia as High Commissioner. The ruling elite, by this time, had cast its covetous eyes on the considerable oil and gas resources of Sabah and Sarawak.

It was from Australia that Stephens returned as the Sabah governor, having converted to Islam in the meantime, and went on to head the Berjaya Party which toppled the United Sabah National Organisation (Usno) led by Mustapha in 1976.

It was Mustapha who refused to sign away 95% of the oil and gas revenue to the federal coffers.
Oil royalty Stephens, curiously, refused to sign as well like Mustapha, and held out in Labuan like his predecessor for a higher percentage of at least 20%.

Stephens' tragic death in an air crash, on the way back from Labuan, settled the oil royalty issue in favour of the federal government and Petronas. His successor, Harris Salleh, signed away the oil revenues witnessed by the new Huguansiou Joseph Pairin Kitingan.

The rest is history.

Stephens did not know what's known today, that is, the Malaysian Federation ceased to exist after Singapore's exit. Amendments to the Federal Constitution now refer to "Federation" as the entity that existed in 1957.

This means that Sabah and Sarawak, since 1965, ceased to be equal partners of Malaya (Peninsular Malaysia) in the federation. The federation that exists today, in short, is the Federation of Malaya masquerading as the Federation of Malaysia.

Sabah and Sarawak are just two of the 13 states and three federal territories in "Malaya" (now Malaysia).

This explains the reason for the federal government being in non-compliance of the 1963 Malaysia Agreement and for the Borneo states losing their promised autonomy in the Federation of Malaysia.

Mahathir would have done well to address these issues in his memoir and laid the ghosts of the past to rest once and for all.

Lee has been a failure as well on this score since he never mentioned the idea of being prime minister of Malaysia. This has been one big disappointment for both Sabah and Sarawak.

Mahathir's disclosure on the idea of Lee being prime minister calls for an appropriate response from the latter.

Tun Fuad Stephens

Tuesday, April 13, 2010
"Truth Is The Remedy To All". Fuad Stephens and his Cabinet Members "POLITICALLY ASSASSINATED" ?

By Ronnie Klassen as published HERE http://advocateviews.blogspot.com/

As sure as an orphan would want to know his parents, Sabahans want to and must know the truth as to what really happened on the 6th.June.1976.Was the death of Tun Fuad Stephens and his Cabinet members an accident or 'accident'? Reliable sources claimed that the fatal Nomad Aircraft carrying Tun Fuad exploded in mid-air and dropped to the ground where a second explosion occurred. Why was the aircraft requested to circle and not given the green light to land?

Doesn't the Chief Minister of Sabah take precedence over everyone? Did the control tower inform the pilot to circle because an Air force Hercules C-130 was about to take off? Reliable sources also claim there was no Hercules C-130 on the tarmac that was ready to take off on that day.

In my earlier 2 articles in my blog on the oil royalty issue, we referred to information that was never made known to Sabahans. The revelation by Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah that he was already strapped to his seat alongside Datuk Rahman Yaakub(Chief Minister of Sarawak) and a member of the Pahang Royalty and together with Tun Fuad and his Cabinet Ministers and later requested to disembark from the aircraft by Harris Salleh to visit a cattle farm in Kudat/Banggi is not only baffling but against any protocol- hence a huge can of worms has now open.

It is also tantamount to insubordination and an insult to the Chief Minister then, Tun Fuad. Harris Salleh in a recent press statement ( Daily Express dated 7th.April.2010 ) denounced this fact in what he claimed to be" grossly inaccurate and carried away with pleasantries ".

Was the visit to the cattle farm more important than the historical event that was going to take place - which was the signing of the petroleum agreement between the Sabah Government and the Federal Government/Petronas? Was visiting this cattle farm in the agenda of Razaleigh's visit? Who is now LYING ? The people of Sabah now demand to know the truth. Was this a " political assassination "?

Researching this event gave me the opportunity to come into contact with many Sabahans who are still till this very day angered by the events that took place on the 6th.June.1976.Was there a " BOMB " planted in the ill-fated Nomad Aircraft ? If a bomb did exist who planted it and under whose instruction?

And who is Lee Kang Yu ? It was reliably learnt that Lee Kang Yu was a trusted aid and trustee to Harris Salleh, who fled to Hong Kong where he later passed away. His thumb print had to be used for verification for withdrawal of assets before he could be laid to rest.

Did Lee Kang Yu plant a bomb in the Nomad Aircraft, and who gave the instruction? Among the first person to be at the crash site was senior information officer,TK Wong,who lived a few metres from the crash site.Ironically,the police arrived almost immediately and condoned off the entire area.No known report was submitted by the Information Department to the State Security Committee on the ill-fated crash,why?

In the purported conversation between Tengku Razaleigh and Tun Fuad Stephens, pursuant to the oil royalty, Ku Li had claimed that Tun Fuad had agreed to the 5% oil royalty as Sarawak had earlier also agreed to the 5% oil royalty.Sabah and Sarawak have over the years till this day have had a brotherly relationship.

Now Sarawakians should be asking,did Rahman Yaakub agree to the 5% oil royalty? On the morning of the 6th.June.1976,Tun Fuad and his Cabinet Ministers flew to Labuan with an objective to re-negotiate. Tun Fuad was in total disagreement to the 5% oil royalty hence he brought his Cabinet Ministers to say their piece to Tengku Razaleigh. Did Tun Fuad and his Cabinet inform Tengku Razaleigh that if the Federal Government did not agree to his demand for an increased share percentage for Sabah, he would publicly announce that he was going to pull Sabah out of Malaysia?

In the afternoon of Good Friday (2nd.April.2010) at my lunch interview with Tengku Razaleigh, I sensed a man that was just waiting to tell the truth, but decided to provide bits and pieces and allowing others to complete the jig-saw puzzle. On the evening of the same day, Tengku Razaleigh was no longer the same person I met earlier.

Was he threatened by anyone, group or enforcement agency? Tengku Razaleigh was supposed to deliver a talk on the Petroleum Development Act 1974 as well as the problems plaguing the oil producing states in Malaysia.

Why did Tengku Razaleigh bring up the matter of the plane crash on the 6th.June.1976?

Was he deliberately trying to tell the truth but not the whole truth?In the presence of about 1,000 odd people who were in attendance at the dialogue, Tengku Razaleigh clearly stated that he was all strapped up in the ill-fated Nomad Aircraft and ready to fly with Tun Fuad to Kota Kinabalu, until Harris Salleh boarded the aircraft and"invited" him to visit the cattle farm in Kudat/Banggi, which apparently was more important and took precedence over the signing of the oil royalty agreement.

Another interesting episode of the crash, was the inconsistent manner in which the Inquiry was conducted. The Magistrate concerned requested for a full re- investigation in"an open verdict" as reported in the newspapers but did the authorities re-investigate the crash ? Why not?Whose was the hidden hand that instructed the authorities NOT to re-investigate the crash? Perhaps the time has come for this Magistrate to appear and tell the truth.

Since the exposure of these new developments in my blog, a few political leaders have "suddenly" come out demanding for the case to beRE-OPENED. I applaud the daring stand taken by Datuk Yong Teck Lee and Dr.Jeffery Kitingan in demanding a new investigation on what actually happened on the 6th.June.1976.

What is mind boggling and beyond comprehension is the reversal of the stand of the Sabah State Government. Chief Minister, Musa Aman in a press statement(Daily Express, dated 7th.April.2010 ) said "the amount of allocation from the Federal Government pouring into Sabah is more important than discussing an increase in the oil royalty for the state ", " KL has been very generous with funds for Sabah". He further added "to me ,what's important here is we don't talk about oil royalty".

My question to Musa Aman is, when did Sabah become so rich that our own resources are not important to discuss? Allow me to jerk the memory of our delusional Chief Minister. Sabah is currently the second poorest state in Malaysia and the oil in Sabah belongs to the people of Sabah. Are Chief Ministers required to take an oath of secrecy never to divulge the truth on what actually happened on the 6th.June.1976?

Oil is a gift from God to the people of Sabah, and 'His' name is not Musa Aman. Musa Aman's remarks, clearly proves that Tengku Razaleigh was probably not lying when he mentioned thatNO SABAH CHIEF MINISTER had ever made any attempt to re-negotiate, request or demand from the Federal Government for a larger oil royalty stake for Sabah. Musa Aman has therefore insulted the intelligence of Sabahans and should do the honourable thing by resigning or better yet dissolving the entire assembly and call for fresh state elections.

Could history have changed for the better had Tun Fuad and his Cabinet Ministers not perished in that controversial crash? The truth must be told and the people of Sabah have every right to know the truth and no one has the right to say otherwise. I therefore urge the family members of Tun Fuad and his Cabinet Ministers to join and assist me as well as all right thinking Sabahans who till this day are devastated by the death of our warriors to demand for the truth to be told. The tears of many are still flowing, let us not remain persecuted by "cover- up's ".

"Truth Is The Remedy To All" said Guru Nanak, Sikhism's revered founder and so - let the truth be told.

And, if made necessary through new facts and revelations, let's correct and rewrite Our Sacred History.
Posted by Ronnie Klassen at 2:31 AM

The plane crash on 6.6.1976 that killed Tun Fuad Stephens

By Ronnie Klassen http://advocateviews.blogspot.com/


Ku Li Opens Up More Uncertainties?
Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah may have been the last man on the face of the earth who spoke to the late Tun Fuad Stephens on the 6th of June 1976,pursuant to the controversial 5% oil royalty to Sabah.The death of Sabah's first Huguan Siou (Paramount Leader of the Kadazan / Dusuns)that perished in a "strange", fatal plane crash on the 6th.June.1976,will continue to haunt Sabahans and probably Malaysians in general for decades to come?Was the last conversation between Tengku Razaleigh and Tun Fuad Stephens on the oil royalty of 5% or was it 30%?, we will never know. Are there secrets that have yet to be unearthed?

I had the distinguished pleasure of interviewing Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah during his visit to Sabah on 2nd.April.2010 at Hyatt Kota Kinabalu,over lunch,that lasted for about 2 hours..Among those present were Dato' Dominic Puthucheary,Mazlan Harun,Thamrin Ghafar Baba and a few others.Ku Li was here as part of his nationwide roadshow,championing the oil royalty issue that has now become the focus of attention among the oil producing states in Malaysia.This was the transcript of my exclusive interview with Tengku Razaleigh.

Ronnie : Tengku,you were probably the last man on earth to have met the late Tun Fuad Stephens,prior to the fatal plane crash.Did Tun Fuad agree to the 5% oil royalty?

Tengku : I had a telephone conversation with Tun Fuad Stephens on the 5th.June.1976,and he agreed to the 5% oil royalty,since Sarawak had also agreed to a similar percentage.

Ronnie : We understand that there was an agreement between the Sabah Government and the Federal Government/ Petronas,which was to be signed on the 7th.June.1976.The signing ceremony however was deferred to the 14th.June1976,in view of the fatal plane crash.Were the contents,particularly the percentage of the oil royalty in the agreement dated 7th.June and 14th June similar?

Tengku : Yes.Both agreements were similar and no changes or amendments were made,only the signatories were different.Datuk Harris Salleh signed on behalf of the Sabah Government,in his capacity as Chief Minister and witnessed by Datuk Joseph Pairin Kitingan.

Ronnie : Tun Fuad Stephens boarded a Nomad Aircraft on the 6th.June.1976 bound for Labuan at 10am.In his entourage were State Cabinet Ministers of Sabah.What's mind-boggling is,why did Tun Fuad Stephens travel to Labuan with his Minister's to meet you,knowing very well that you would be in Kota Kinabalu on the 7th.June.1976 to formalized the signing of the oil royalty agreement? Was Fuad Stephens actual intentions to meet you in Labuan to re-negotiate the 5% as he finally realized that the percentage was insufficient?

Tengku : No.Tun Fuad Stephens agreed to the 5% oil royalty and he was not re-negotiating the terms.

Ronnie : Were you joining Tun Fuad Stephens on board the aircraft that was bound for Kota Kinabalu on the 6th.June.1976?

Tengku : Yes,actually I boarded the plane and strapped myself with the seat belt.I was together with Datuk Rahman Yaakub (Chief Minister of Sarawak). Datuk Harris Salleh then came on board and invited me to accompany him to Kudat/Banggi to visit his cattle farm.I subsequently unfastened my seat belt together with Datuk Rahman Yaakub and boarded another Nomad Aircraft.

When we arrived at our destination,we were immediately requested to disembarked and move away from the aircraft.I was rather puzzled and was later informed that the plane carrying Tun Fuad Stephens had crashed in Kota Kinabalu.I felt very sad,knowing I had just lost a dear friend.

Ronnie : So, Datuk Harris signed the agreement on 14th.June.1976 on behalf of the Sabah Government or more approximately on behalf of the people of Sabah.Tengku,Sabah being an oil producing state in Malaysia was once the richest state in the country.Today as you are very well aware,Sabah is now the second poorest state in Malaysia,although governed by Barisan National.Has any attempt been made over the last 34 years by any Chief Minister after the death of the late Tun Fuad Stephens to re-negotiate,request or demand a higher oil royalty percentage from the Federal Government?

Tengku : No Chief Minister has attempted to request for an increase of the 5% oil royalty from the Federal Government.

Ronnie : Sabahans have been crying foul over the manner that the Federal Government has been treating Sabah,do you honestly think that Sabah should be demanding for higher oil royalty?

Tengku : The people of Sabah have every right to request or demand for a higher oil royalty,the question is whether the Federal Government is prepared to oblige.

Ronnie : Tengku,allow me to sidetrack my next question away from the oil royalty issue.The upcoming Hulu Selangor by-election has now been fixed by the Election Commission.Nomination will be on the 17th.April while Polling has been fixed on the 25th.April,2010.In your opinion,how would you rate the chances of UMNO/BN and the Opposition?

Tengku : The Hulu Selangor by-election will not be easy for Barisan National.PKR will draw support if it's Malay candidate is good.Barisan National will not get the support from the Malays.

With that I concluded the interview.

Have the people of Sabah been betrayed by the greed and arrogance of the past Chief Ministers of Sabah? Will Sabahans finally decide what is important and what rightfully belongs to them or will Sabahans still continue to allow the crooks that walk the corridors of power to dictate and decide the fate of Sabahans at their own desecration?

I also attended the talk by Tengku Razaleigh themed "Minyak Sabah Untuk Siapa" which was organised by the Sabah Dusun Association and the Persatuan Bloggers Sabah at the Kadazan Dusun Cultural Association Hall in Penampang,Sabah.Ironically,the same Tengku Razaleigh that was so fiery and vocal in his speeches in Kelantan recently about how Kelantan was short changed,wasn't the same person.

The presence of "fully armed" police personnel at the venue was also mind boggling.Did the police special branch or UMNO play a role in toning down Tengku's "NO HOLDS BARRED" fiery readiness to expose the truth? Was Tengku Razaleigh going to disclose the truth of what actually transpired in his last conversation with Tun Fuad Stephens?Was there a hidden hand that prevented him from telling the truth?

What was hoped to be an eventful talk and dialogue about the oil royalty by Ku Li turned out to be mere rhetoric and a shamble due to poor turnout. It was not too well-organised - publicity materials were unseen,other then the banner located at the entrance of the Building,which was too small,that one needed a magnifying glass to read it's contents.To those that did attend,it was a wasted and frustrating night for many,as visibly seen by the disgruntled faces.

Nonetheless, it was a daring effort, and hopefully we can see some improvement in the near future

Tun Fuad Stephens vs Tun Datu Mustapha

The State Archives has put up a special exhibition titled `Captain Tun Datu Haji Mustapha Datu Harun'. According to the archive's director Datu Tigabelas Datu Zainal Abidinthe exhibition was in commemoration with Tun Mustapha, the first Sabah Governor and third Chief Minister.

When a reporter asked Datu 13 why Tun Mustapha and not other leaders like Tun Fuad, the director said, `Stephens was a separuh orang putih (half white)." Yesterday Datu 13 clarified that he it was never his intention to discriminate any personality leaders.

Datu 13 said Tun Mustapha was chosen as Tun Fuad who was an Eurasian was involved in the formation of Malaysia, compared to Tun Mustapha who played a vital role during the Japanese invasion right up to the formation of Malaysia.

My Say:

According to history book, Tun Mustapha is half Suluk, half Bajau. Datu 13 failed to mentioned the other half of Tun Fuad which is Kadazandusun. Tun Fuad's relatives can testify this anytime. In my early days as reporter, I had met and interviewed Tun Fuad who upon knowing me a native, answered my questions in Kadazan. I had also interviewed Tun Mustapha, he spoke in Bajau Suluk.