KOTA KINABALU – Sabah’s standing as a stronghold for Kadazandusun-Murut (KDM) or non-Muslim Bumiputera Sabah parties is waning as the domination of certain ethnic groups has altered dramatically in various constituencies over the past 27 years.
Sabah political analyst Lee Kuok Tiung said the fall of the Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) government in 1994 and the entry of Umno marked the starting point for this transformation and resulted in parties needing to form alliances to win elections.
Between the mid-80s until 1994, PBS was able to reign by itself in Sabah.
The same was the case with popular parties like Parti Bersatu Rakyat Jelata Sabah (Berjaya) and United Sabah National Organisation (Usno) that dominated prior to PBS in forming state governments on their own strengths in numbers.
“Parties like PBS would not be able to repeat such a feat anymore, but will continue to exist in Sabah.
“The KDM majority was more visible in the past, but the migration of other races has since become more evident in these areas,” Lee said in an interview with The Vibes.
He said that there are now only about 30 parliamentary constituencies among the 73 in Sabah where KDM or non-Muslim Bumiputeras form the majority.
Aside from PBS, other KDM parties include Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (Sabah Star), United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (Upko), and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS).
Lee said that most of these parties are no longer able to assert dominance against their national counterparts like Umno and Bersatu, whose headquarters are in Peninsular Malaysia.
These days, even the racial dominance of the Kadazandusun in Penampang is slowly decreasing as new residential development projects are occupied by others, diluting the traditional balance of races in the parliamentary constituency.
As the trend of forming alliances becomes more crucial for the survival of the parties, Lee said the KDM parties’ chances of claiming dominance again, like indigenous parties in Sarawak, are also hampered by there being too many political players on the field.
Facilitating greater freedom of expression, social media has played a significant role in influencing voter decisions.
Lee said that of all of Sabah’s parties, PBS, led by Datuk Seri Maximus Ongkili, and Sabah Star, led by Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan, still hold the most substantial influence among KDM voters.
However, he said Sabah Star risks falling out as the party is seen to rely too much on Kitingan, with no new and capable leaders coming into the limelight to speak for the party.
“PBS on the other hand realised that the party needs fresh faces, and recently did a major reshuffle of the party’s Supreme Council members,” Lee said.
He pointed out, for example, that PBS recently moved Datuk Jahid Jahim as deputy president from his earlier position as secretary-general, and promoted Joniston Bangkuai to secretary-general from being the party’s information chief.
Lee had a different opinion on opposition party Upko, which he said may lose in the upcoming general election as it is in need of a leadership change.
He said that Tuaran MP Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau had failed in leading the party, which would have a better chance with Kadamaian assemblyman Datuk Ewon Benedick as president.
However, he said the same cannot be said of PBRS, led by Pensiangan MP Arthur Kurup.
Even though the party needs to place fresh leaders if it is to expand or gain more seats in any forthcoming elections, Kurup remains a credible leader who would be able to lead the party.
Lee however discounted Parti Warisan Sabah’s influence among KDM voters, saying that the party led by Semporna MP and former chief minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal has proven to be strong in Muslim-majority seats but lacks influence in others.
The party won 29 seats in the Sabah elections in September, but only won Moyog and Melalap among the non-Muslim Bumiputera constituencies. – The Vibes, January 27, 2021
