Rahimah Stephens (22 October 1930 – 14 March 2022) was a Malaysian politician. She was the Member of Sabah State Legislative Assembly for Kiulu from 1976 to 1985. She was also the wife of Fuad Stephens, the first Chief Minister of Sabah.
Rahimah Stephens | |
|---|---|
 Rahimah Stephens during an interview about her husband | |
| Member of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly for Kiulu | |
| In office 15 July 1976 – 1985 | |
| Preceded by | Fuad Stephens |
| Succeeded by | Gisin Lombut |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Cecilia June Lutter 22 October 1930 Beaufort, North Borneo (now Sabah) |
| Died | 14 March 2022 (aged 91) Kota Kinabalu, Sabah |
| Citizenship | Malaysian |
| Political party | UPKO BERJAYA |
| Other political affiliations | Barisan Nasional (1976-1986) |
| Spouse | Fuad Stephens |
| Children | Johari Stephens (adopted stepson, deceased) Affendi Stephens (deceased) Asgari Stephens Faridah Stephens Fauziah Stephens (adopted daughter) |
| Occupation | Politician |
Participation in NGO edit
Rahimah was active in the Sabah Anti Tuberculosis Association (SABATA), Malaysian Red Crescent Society, Inner Wheel Club, National Stokees Association, and Senior Citizen Association. She was also the founder of Sabah Heart Fund (SOS).
Politics edit
In 1961, Rahimah became the first Chief of Women's Wing in UPKO, the party established by her husband, Tun Fuad Stephens.[1] After that, she joined BERJAYA together with her husband and became the Chief of Women's Wing of BERJAYA. She was then elected to become the Member of Sabah State Legislative Assembly for Kiulu after a by-election, caused by the death of her husband. On 17 July 1976, she was appointed as the Welfare Minister of Sabah and became the first woman to be appointed as a Sabah cabinet member in the new administration.[2][3]
Election results edit
| Year | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct. | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct. | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Kiulu | Rahimah Stephens (BERJAYA) | Unopposed | |||||||||
| 1981 | Rahimah Stephens (BERJAYA) | 2,552 | 67.23% | Gisin Lombut (PASOK) | 1,071 | 28.21% | 3,796 | 1,481 | 77.42 | |||
| Indra Bayat (PUSAKA) | 42 | 1.11% | ||||||||||
| 1985 | Rahimah Stephens (BERJAYA) | 1,462 | 32.19% | Gisin Lombut (PBS) | 2,289 | 50.40% | 4,542 | 827 | 75.81 | |||
| Abdul Kadir Baba (USNO) | 637 | 14.02% | ||||||||||
| Gaibin Ransoi (BERSEPADU) | 45 | 0.99% | ||||||||||
| Abdul Kahim Abdul Sanip (BERSIH) | 36 | 0.79% | ||||||||||
| 1986 | Rahimah Stephens (BERJAYA) | 1,775 | 36.20% | Gisin Lombut (PBS) | 2,967 | 60.51% | 4,903 | 1,192 | 75.31 | |||
| Ayun Meliyon (IND) | 101 | 2.06% | ||||||||||
Health edit
She passed away on 14 March 2022 due to heart attack at a private hospital after she fell down at her home and broke her bone.[2][3][5]
Honours edit
Sabah :
Commander of the Order of Kinabalu (PGDK) - Datuk (1971) [6]
Grand Commander of the Order of Kinabalu (SPDK) - Datuk Seri Panglima (1982) [6]
References edit
- ^ aniqtoday; aniqtoday. "Toh Puan Rahimah Stephens Meninggal Dunia | Borneo Today". Retrieved 2022-11-07.
- ^ a b "Toh Puan Rahimah Stephens laid to rest". The Star. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
- ^ a b "Rahimah Stephens meninggal dunia akibat serangan jantung". www.astroawani.com. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
- ^ "KEPUTUSAN PILIHAN RAYA UMUM KE-12". semak.spr.gov.my. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
- ^ "Toh Puan Rahimah Stephens dies of heart attack". The Vibes. 2022-03-14. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
- ^ a b "PBiodata Penerima Anugerah Sri Kandi Persatuan Pandu Puteri Malaysia 2006". Archived from the original on 2011-09-18.