# Mustapha Harun Becomes Sabah's Chief Minister (12 May 1967)

URL: https://allhistories.com/malaysia/timeline/1967-mustapha-harun-becomes-sabah-s-chief-minister
Location: Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
Themes: Language, Education

Datu Mustapha Harun, founder of the United Sabah National Organisation (USNO), became Sabah's Chief Minister in 1967 after USNO's victory in that year's state election. The Wikipedia infobox dates his term to 12 May 1967. He had been Sabah's head of state from 1963 to 1965. Mustapha had helped negotiate Sabah's entry into Malaysia as a leader of the Muslim indigenous community. In office, he had a strained relationship with the federal government, reportedly threatened secession and demanded a larger share of oil revenue for Sabah, and promoted Malay as the official language of the state. He backed the spread of Islam through the United Sabah Islamic Association (1969), and the page says about 75,000 non-Muslims had converted by February 1974. He proposed the Sabah Foundation. The expulsion of foreign missionary priests in 1972 is remembered negatively by many Christians, and Harris Salleh's Berjaya ended his rule in 1976. At this point in the timeline (1967), Malaysia's head of state was Yang di-Pertuan Agong Ismail Nasiruddin of Terengganu (21 September 1965 – 20 September 1970), with Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman (31 August 1957 – 22 September 1970) heading the government.

## Why it matters
His long tenure shaped Sabah's politics, religion, language policy and its bargaining with Kuala Lumpur over resources.

Ruler at the Time: [Ismail Nasiruddin of Terengganu](https://allhistories.com/malaysia/rulers/ismail-nasiruddin-of-terengganu)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Mustapha Harun](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustapha_Harun)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica — Sabah](https://www.britannica.com/place/Sabah-state-Malaysia)