Kota Kinabalu: Sabah’s founding fathers Donald (later Tun Fuad) Stephens and Tun Mustapha had different ideas about how to unite Sabah’s bumiputras, a fresh look at events surrounding the State’s transition from a British colony to a new federation called Malaysia at the time of independence, in 1963, reveals.
Late Datuk Mohd Fauzi Patel said Mustapha’s plan was to have both the Muslim and non-Muslim natives unite under Usno and deliberately named the party “United Sabah National Organisation” for this purpose.
He said when Mustapha heard of Stephens intention to set up a party for non-Muslim bumiputras, he sailed from Kudat in his small boat and put up at Stephens wooden house in Likas (where the Shell kiosk now stands) to talk him out of it.
“He begged Stephens for three days and three nights saying it will disunite them.
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