Remembering Double Six

Another view of the Double Six monument in Sembulan. In the background is the food court built and run by the Sutera Resort group.
Side view of the monument. In the distance is Palm Court, a high-end condominium associated with the Sutera Resort group.

Front view of the Double Six Monument in Sembulan. In the background is recreational park including jogging track. The monument stands on the spot where the plane crashed. The surrounding area was then the sea with closely-knit stilt houses which were fortunately not hit.

The clock has just striked 12, meaning it's now Friday 6 June 2008, or Double Six.

But I don't particularly like the term Double Six. For it reminds me and a lot of my fellow Sabahans (old enough to remember or even know) of a tragedy which took place 32 years ago. A tragedy like no other in Malaysian or Sabah or Borneo history, for on that fateful day half of Sabah's State Cabinet was wiped out in a terrible accident!

On 6 June 1976, a small plane took off from Labuan island (now the Federal Territory of Labuan) bound for Kota Kinabalu. On the plane were 11 passengers including the Chief Minister and 3 of his Cabinet colleagues. They had earlier in the day flew to Labuan from Kota Kinabalu for official business.

Just as the plane was about to land at the Kota Kinabalu (old) airport in Tanjung Aru that afternoon, it somehow crashed into the sea near the coastline in nearby Sembulan; missing the nearest stilt-houses by meters. All eleven passengers were killed.

The Chief Minister, Tun Haji Mohd Fuad Stephens (formerly Dato' Donald Stephens) had led his Berjaya political party to victory in the Sabah State general election only weeks ago in April; defeating the Usno-led Alliance party which won Sabah's first direct election in 1967.

Stephens who is half-Australian and half-Kadazan (a major Sabah native group) first became Chief Minister on 31 August 1963, the day North Borneo became Sabah, having gained self-rule from Britain. His UPKO party was then part of the Sabah alliance. But he stepped down as Chief Minister on 1 January 1965, paving way for Dato' (now Tan Sri) Peter Lo, the first Chinese to become Sabah CM. Stephens then had a short stint as a Malaysian Federal Minister. By the time the 1967 election was held, UPKO was at logger-heads with Usno led by the late Tun Datu Haji Mustapha Datu Harun, Stephens' arch rival-turned-blood brother-turned-arch rival.

Stephens' Ministers who died with him were Datuk Salleh Sulong (Finance), Datuk Peter Mojuntin (Local Government and Housing) and Datuk Chong Thain Vun (Communication and Works). An Assistant Minister, Datuk Darius Binion, was also on board. The State Cabinet then consisted of 9 Ministers including the CM. This meant that half of the Cabinet was wiped out just like that!

The tragedy immediately destablised the Berjaya government and put it at risk of being overthrown. It had won only 28 seats in the 48-seat Sabah State Legislative Assembly with Usno winning 20. With 5 Assemblymen having been killed instantly, Berjaya was left with only 23 - a rather thin majority.

But not to worry. For the record, Berjaya went on to win all the 5 ensuing by-elections and its strength returned to 28. Infact, on the same evening of the tragedy itself, Deputy Chief Minister and Deputy Berjaya president Datuk Harris Salleh was sworn-in as the new Chief Minister, apparently to prevent sabotage and ensure continuity and to assure Sabahans.

Months later, with the by-elections over, the dust settled down, and the new CM having warmed his seat and showed that he was firmly in charge, a couple of Usno Assemblymen crossed over thus further strengthening Berjaya's position. Harris Salleh dealt a near-fatal blow to Usno in the 1981 election (by then the Alliance was non-existent) when Berjaya won 44 seats!

I can go on and on but I guess I better leave some materials for other days. But for those interested to know or refresh their memory on the birth of Berjaya, you are welcomed to visit my few first postings beginning 15 July last year by surfing my Blog Archives.

Thank you for the visit.