Nationalism in Sabah : a comparative study of the role of Mat Salleh and Fuad Stephens

Abstract

Nationalism is a concept introduced to colonial societies by Western powers, thus non-Western postcolonial elites normally justify their nationalism based on Western perspectives. In this study, the concept of nationalism is explored with regard to nationalists in Sabah, specifically Mat Salleh ( d. 1900) and Fuad Stephens (1920-1976). Although nationalism is the main idea of this discussion, it focuses on Sabahans' viewpoints on the value and justification of nationalism during the British intervention in Sabah. Westerners themselves had different thoughts and understandings regarding this concept, such as in the case of old and new nationalism. This thesis examines how significant Mat Salleh and Fuad Stephens were in promoting nationalism during the colonial era in Sabah by revealing the factors, challenges, strategies, reactions, and impacts involved. This study is based on historical research analysis that deals with both primary and secondary sources to elucidate these issues. The findings indicate that for Sabahans, Mat Salleh and Fuad Stephens were significant and successful nationalists in facing a broad array of challenges during the British intervention, succeeding in uniting the people around goals of seeking their rights and Sabah in different epochs. The progress of nationalism in Sabah, especially during the British colonisation, can be assessed by comparing their two cases. Mat Salleh was fundamentally important in initiating the early phase of nationalism in Sabah, characterised by a process of trial and error, while Fuad Stephens built on this nascent nationalist consciousness to guide the maturation of Sabahan nationalism in the context of the formation of Malaysia, constructing pragmatic tactics to respond to contemporary issues. Based on this analysis, it can be said that nationalism was not a static phenomenon, because improvement or changes took due to the interplay of various internal and external factors, which affected the progress of nationalism and the form it took in Sabah.