activity poster for Uncovering Syed Kechik's Secret History

Uncovering Syed Kechik's Secret History

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The talk will be held in the English language.

Unveiling Syed Kechik's Role in Shaping Sabah's Political Landscape

The Sabah Society presents a historical talk on another aspect of Sabah's history that has long been forgotten, that of Syed Kechik (1928 - 2009).

The historical talk will discuss who he was, and how did he became the de facto Chief Minister of Sabah in the early 1970s and his role in changing the landscape of Sabah's politics and economy forever.

We historically refer to this period as the growth of federalism in Sabah.

Avtar Singh presents his 2nd talk on Syed Kechik from a historical perspective and presents historical observations on the period from 1965 to 1976.

These historical observations are intended to stimulate further discussion and research on the period between 1967 and 1976 for a better understanding of Sabah's history.


Speaker: Avtar Singh

Avtar Singh began his work and research in history in 2015, and published his first historical book in 2017 on the history of Indians serving in the German army during the Second World War.

He has since lectured on the Battle of Midway, the false narratives of the Sulu Sultanate over Sabah, piracy, kidnapping and slavery of North Borneo natives by the Sulu Sultanate, and early Sikh history in North Borneo.

He is the great-great-grandson of Bhagat Singh, the first Sikh to arrive in North Borneo as a policeman in 1868, and is a 5th generation Sabahan.

Born in Kota Kinabalu and having lived overseas in Singapore, Australia and the United States, he is currently a project researcher with the Goethe Institute on a project called "Borneo Perantis".


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About the Sabah Society

The Sabah Society is a non-governmental/non-profit organisation founded in 1960 by a group of enthusiasts who wished to record and preserve interesting and important aspects of Sabah's history, culture and natural history.

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Organiser of this event

The Sabah Society

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The Sabah Society

No. 46, Lot 34, 1st Floor, Damai Plaza Phase 4, Luyang, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.

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