Stephen R. Evans
Encyclopedia
Datuk
Stephen Robert Evans, SPDK, is a politician, public administrator and author from Sabah
, Borneo
, Malaysia.
Evans was born in Kampong Bariawa Laut, a small village in Keningau District
, North Borneo
(now Sabah). His father was Richard F. Evans, District Officer and later Resident
of the West Coast for the North Borneo Chartered Company
Government, which ruled North Borneo up to the 1942 Japan
ese invasion in World War II
.
Evans studied in a Japanese primary school in Keningau during the occupation. After the war he was schooled at Roman Catholic
Mission Schools at Sandakan
, Jesselton (now Kota Kinabalu) and Kuching
, Sarawak
. He studied at universities in Britain, United States
and Australia
, gaining B.Sc. and MA degrees in Public Administration and Diplomas in Journalism and Agriculture. In 1966 he was awarded a Columbo Plan Scholarship from the New Zealand
Government to study Public Administration and Local Government.
Evans had a distinguished career as a politician in Sabah. He served as a Member of Parliament
from 8 August 1974 to 1 June 1977, and a Senator from 15 December 1977 to 20 June 1978. He was re-elected as an MP from 15 July 1978 until 29 March 1982. In 1986 he was elected as a member of the Legislative Assembly
, serving from 5 May 1986 until 26 June 1990.
Evans was awarded a PGDK, Commander of the Order of Kinabalu (second class Datukship) by the State Government in 1977 and in 1989 he was conferred the State’s highest award, SPDK, Grand Commander of the Order of Kinabalu (first class Datukship).
Evans also served as a Justice of the Peace
, and is a life member of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and the Malaysian Parliamentary Association.
Evans has authored several books, and twice won the Borneo Literature Bureau’s Literature Competition. He is fluent in English
, Malay
, Kadazan/Dusun
and Murut
.
Malay titles
The Malay language has a complex system of titles and honorifics, which are still used extensively in Malaysia and Brunei. Singapore, whose Malay royalty was abolished by the British colonial government in 1891, has adopted civic titles for its leaders....
Stephen Robert Evans, SPDK, is a politician, public administrator and author from Sabah
Sabah
Sabah is one of 13 member states of Malaysia. It is located on the northern portion of the island of Borneo. It is the second largest state in the country after Sarawak, which it borders on its southwest. It also shares a border with the province of East Kalimantan of Indonesia in the south...
, Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
, Malaysia.
Evans was born in Kampong Bariawa Laut, a small village in Keningau District
Keningau
Keningau is a sprawling timber and agricultural town and district located in the Interior Division of Sabah, east Malaysia on the island of Borneo...
, North Borneo
North Borneo
North Borneo was a British protectorate under the sovereign North Borneo Chartered Company from 1882 to 1946. After the war it became a crown colony of Great Britain from 1946 to 1963, known in this time as British North Borneo. It is located on the northeastern end of the island of Borneo. It is...
(now Sabah). His father was Richard F. Evans, District Officer and later Resident
Resident (title)
A Resident, or in full Resident Minister, is a government official required to take up permanent residence in another country. A representative of his government, he officially has diplomatic functions which are often seen as a form of indirect rule....
of the West Coast for the North Borneo Chartered Company
British North Borneo Company
The North Borneo Chartered Company or British North Borneo Company was a chartered company assigned to administer North Borneo in August 1881. North Borneo became a protectorate of the British Empire with internal affairs administered by the company until 1946 when it became the colony of British...
Government, which ruled North Borneo up to the 1942 Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese invasion in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Evans studied in a Japanese primary school in Keningau during the occupation. After the war he was schooled at Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
Mission Schools at Sandakan
Sandakan
Sandakan is the second-largest city in Sabah, East Malaysia, on the north-eastern coast of Borneo. It is located on the east coast of the island and it is the administrative centre of Sandakan Division and was the former capital of British North Borneo...
, Jesselton (now Kota Kinabalu) and Kuching
Kuching
Kuching , officially the City of Kuching, and formerly the City of Sarawak, is the capital and most populous city of the East Malaysian state of Sarawak. It is the largest city on the island of Borneo, and the fourth largest city in Malaysia....
, Sarawak
Sarawak
Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Known as Bumi Kenyalang , Sarawak is situated on the north-west of the island. It is the largest state in Malaysia followed by Sabah, the second largest state located to the North- East.The administrative capital is Kuching, which...
. He studied at universities in Britain, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, gaining B.Sc. and MA degrees in Public Administration and Diplomas in Journalism and Agriculture. In 1966 he was awarded a Columbo Plan Scholarship from the New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
Government to study Public Administration and Local Government.
Evans had a distinguished career as a politician in Sabah. He served as a Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
from 8 August 1974 to 1 June 1977, and a Senator from 15 December 1977 to 20 June 1978. He was re-elected as an MP from 15 July 1978 until 29 March 1982. In 1986 he was elected as a member of the Legislative Assembly
Legislative Assembly
Legislative Assembly is the name given in some countries to either a legislature, or to one of its branch.The name is used by a number of member-states of the Commonwealth of Nations, as well as a number of Latin American countries....
, serving from 5 May 1986 until 26 June 1990.
Evans was awarded a PGDK, Commander of the Order of Kinabalu (second class Datukship) by the State Government in 1977 and in 1989 he was conferred the State’s highest award, SPDK, Grand Commander of the Order of Kinabalu (first class Datukship).
Evans also served as a Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
, and is a life member of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and the Malaysian Parliamentary Association.
Evans has authored several books, and twice won the Borneo Literature Bureau’s Literature Competition. He is fluent in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Malay
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
, Kadazan/Dusun
Dusun
Dusun is the collective name of a tribe or ethnic and linguistic group in the Malaysian state of Sabah of North Borneo. Due to similarities in culture and language with the Kadazan ethnic group, a new unified term called "Kadazan-Dusun" was created. Collectively, they form the largest ethnic group...
and Murut
Murutic languages
The Murutic languages are a family of half a dozen closely related Austronesian languages, spoken in the northern inland regions of Borneo by the Murut people.The languages are:...
.