Stephen Kalong Ningkan, secretary-general of the Sarawak Alliance was appointed to be the first Chief Minister of Sarawak on July 22 1963 by then Governor, Sir Alexander Waddell, who said he was satisfied that Ningkan was “likely to command the confidence of the majority of the members of the Council Negri.” Ningkan had earlier formed the Sarawak National Party (SNAP) in 1961. But by 1966 a state of emergency was declared and he was deposed as CM. And so the origins of Sarawak-Federal relations began. Today we explore with his son the trajectory of one of four founding territories of Malaysia and current demands for full autonomy.