Donald Stephens and Sabah's Response to the Singapore Separation

The internal dynamics of the Federation of Malaysia changed with the departure of Singapore on 9 August 1965, leaving political leaders in Sabah uncertain about the future. On August 23rd, The Sabah Times published an editorial denying that Sabah had any interest in seceding from the federation. The editorial stated the official position of Donald Stephens, a prominent Sabah politician and owner of The Sabah Times , but the diplomatic correspondence of several British Commonwealth countries shows that it did not reflect Stephens' true feelings. This article discusses events during the 14-day period between Singapore's separation from Malaysia and publication of the editorial. It shows that Sabah's leaders, and Stephens in particular, seriously contemplated leaving the federation but were dissuaded by a lack of support from Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, and by a strong stance of the government in Kuala Lumpur

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