Who will get the KDM community’s mandate?

“Tulun tokou”, a Kadazan Dusun phrase meaning “our people”, has long echoed through the political campaigns of the Kadazan Dusun Murut (KDM) community in Sabah.

As the state heads into another election, the perennial question resurfaces: to which party can the KDM community entrust its voice and aspirations?

In a state increasingly known for fluid political alignments, that question is becoming ever more critical.

Presently, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (Upko), Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR), and the relatively new Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM) are all vying for the community’s mandate.

Though officially multiracial, PBS remains deeply intertwined with the KDM struggle.

Its founder, Joseph Pairin Kitingan, holds the revered title of “Huguan Siou” — the paramount leader of the Kadazan Dusun people. Now serving as party adviser, Pairin’s legacy continues to shape PBS’s identity.

Since its inception in 1985, PBS has consistently remained principled and faithful to its allies, despite exiting the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition twice — in 1990 and again in 2018.

Loyal and tested

Kota Kinabalu native chief Rocky Mabin believes PBS continues to channel a strong voice for Sabahans, especially the KDM community, despite suffering mass defections and multiple other challenges.

“The key word is loyalty,” he said. “Even when faced with difficulties, PBS has stood by its principles whenever the party disagreed with a particular course of action.”

This was most evident after the 14th general election (GE14), when PBS declined to join forces with Upko in support of efforts by Warisan, led by Shafie Apdal, to topple BN.

Instead, it opted to remain in the opposition, continuing to raise long-standing concerns, including the influx of undocumented migrants (pendatang asing tanpa izin, or Pati), a core issue for many Sabahans, especially the KDM community.

The Pati issue also revives painful memories of the so-called “Project IC”, which many blame for altering Sabah’s demographic balance dating back to the 1980s.

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, often linked to the project, denied involvement during a 2013 Royal Commission of Inquiry looking into the matter, instead attributing it to rogue government officials.

With the issue unresolved, Mahathir returned to power from 2018 to 2020, allegedly with Shafie’s backing, fuelling further unease among KDM voters.

PBS’s patience and consistency would pay off. In the 2020 state election, the party won seven seats, two more than previously.

As part of the recent Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) government, PBS, now led by acting president, Dr Joachim Gunsalam, has played a role in key developments, including negotiations on the Malaysia Agreement 1963.

Upko’s gamble, STAR’s shifting alliance

Upko on the other hand, has struggled in recent years, winning only one seat — Kadamaian — at the 2020 state election, which also saw its ally Warisan suffer heavy losses in KDM-majority areas.

Warisan deputy president Darell Leiking, however, proved the exception, successfully defending his state seat of Moyog in the 2020 state election.

However, Warisan suffered a major setback at GE15 in 2022, which also saw Upko, contesting on a Pakatan Harapan (PH) ticket, experience a mini turnaround — snatching Penampang, from Leiking, and Tuaran, both federal seats.

Despite this, Upko abruptly exited PH on Nov 10, five days before nomination day with party president Ewon Benedick citing its disagreement over Putrajaya’s pursuit of a partial appeal in the 40% revenue share case.

Some speculate that the move, made despite an assurance by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim that he will honour Sabah’s constitutional entitlement, was more tactical than principled — aimed at contesting a larger share of seats than it might have received within the GRS-PH alliance.

STAR itself has oscillated between coalitions. It joined Perikatan Nasional but left after GE15, joining GRS — a move which saw Jeffrey appointed deputy chief minister.

However, just before the state assembly’s dissolution, STAR exited GRS. Although Jeffrey claimed the decision reflected the people’s will, insiders pointed to dissatisfaction over seat allocations within the GRS-PH framework.

Newcomer

Meanwhile Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (PKDM) does not yet have a track record to allow for an assessment of its endurance and stability. Though vocal and gaining traction, PKDM, now led by acting president Priscilla Peter, remains untested in terms of political endurance and loyalty.

In Sabah’s dynamic and competitive political terrain, questions about loyalty, principle and consistency loom large — and may well determine which party the KDM community entrusts its future to.

Nov 29 is set to provide many of the answers.

 

Amin Ishak is an editor with FMT.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.