KOTA KINABALU – The politics of the Kadazandusun and Murut (KDM) would be further fragmented if the two assemblymen who left Warisan recently proceeded to form a new party.
Last Monday, Melalap assemblyman Datuk Peter Anthony and Limbahau assemblyman Datuk Juil Nuatim confirmed their departure from Warisan over the fact that the party has opted to become a national party instead of a Sabah-focused one.
Anthony claimed that the party had gone off-track from its original struggle when it looked to expand to Peninsular Malaysia.
Given his disagreements with Warisan’s expansion plans, Anthony will be setting up a new party, but has remained mum about the details.
He only disclosed that the party has been registered and will be made public early this month.
Anthony, formerly Warisan vice president, had strong KDM grassroots support in the interiors of Tenom, while Nuatim is from Papar.
Universiti Malaysia Sabah senior political analyst Lee Kuok Tiung told The Vibes that Anthony is one of the two focal KDM leaders in Warisan, with the party’s deputy president cum Penampang MP Datuk Darell Leiking being the other.
They are viewed as the backbone of the KDM leaders in Warisan. When Anthony exits the party, certainly there would be an impact.
The impact is especially significant with Anthony’s departure, whom many view as the financial contributors of Warisan,” he said.
During the Warisan-led government, the former Sabah infrastructural development minister reportedly had an unexplained source of wealth.
In December last year, he was told to enter his defence on charges of falsifying documents.
A corruption case was brought against him, which goes way back to 2014.
The businessman turned politician had also been in the middle of a 2018 alleged corruption case linked to a RM155 million purchase of land in Tongod involving Risda in 2014.
Meanwhile, little is known about Nuatim, but he is Anthony’s vice president in the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Pertubuhan Kadazan Dusun Murut Malaysia (KDM Malaysia).
Nuatim has also been active in politics for 25 years.
With him leaving Warisan, Anthony is expected to unveil the name of his new party this month – rumoured to be named KDM Malaysia – which was already registered with the Registrar of Societies.
Anthony has also been reported to have declined Sabah Star president Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan’s offer to join the party, and urged him to abandon his plans of establishing a new political outfit in a state already swarmed with political parties.
There are currently some 35 parties in Sabah other than Warisan, including Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (Upko), United Sabah National Organisation, Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS), Liberal Democratic Party, Parti Cinta Sabah, Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), and the national parties.
According to the official website of the Sabah government, the Kadazandusun make up the largest ethnic group in Sabah, accounting for almost 30% of the population, while the Muruts account for about 7%.
Anthony’s plan to further divide Sabah communities?
Sabah UiTM’s Tony Paridi said Anthony’s plan would further cause fragmenting among the KDM communities in Sabah and stoke the fires of rivalry among the already existing Sabah parties, causing instability and disunity among the communities.
Although having more political parties provides more options to choose from, in the end, it is these communities who are on the losing end.”
Paridi said remaining KDM leaders in Warisan will also face a huge challenge in uniting the KDMs in the party, saying Anthony was already known among the grassroots via his KDM Malaysia NGO.
Popular KDM leaders in Warisan include Leiking (Moyog assemblyman) and Terrence Siambun (Warisan treasurer).
Siambun has noted that Anthony’s wish to establish his own party would divide and keep the KDMs in Sabah subservient to Putrajaya’s political play.
While the national parties in Sabah do not have significant power to make their own decisions without the approval of their peninsula-based headquarters, the Sabah-based parties aligned to national parties are also rendered without ability, influence and power, he said.
“Sabah political leaders should stop dividing themselves into splinter parties as they will be subject to control by national-based parties.
It is clear since Barisan took the government in 1994, the KDM communities were broken up into so many parties (PBS, PBRS, Upko) that has left them only further divided and still lagging in development.
“Today, we see local parties like Star, SAPP, PBS and PBRS within Gabungan Rakyat Sabah that are led by national parties Umno and Bersatu. These national parties call the shots and there is nothing the smaller parties can do.
“It is time for every Sabah leader to set aside their ego and work together towards the interests of Sabahans like GPS in Sarawak. National coalitions like Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional stayed out of the elections to respect Sarawak parties,” he said.
Siambun warned of history repeating itself if Anthony gets to establish a new party.
"Although many KDMs wish for the revival of KDM-inspired leadership, which Sabah once had in the likes of former chief minister Tun Fuad Stephens, Datuk Peter Mojuntin and Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan, the situation now bears the resemblance of Malay-inspired leadership of Barisan Nasional, which entered Sabah in the 1990s, causing much of the problems in Sabah right now," said Siambun, referring to the state’s sluggish development.
He noted that these parties only call for unity among and protection of the Malays, while some leaders remain not only “incompetent” but also “corrupt”.
“In fact, the KDM community should relook at the strategic political decision taken by our two past KDM leaders, Tun Fuad Stephens and Datuk Peter Mojuntin, who decided to do away with Umno’s race-based political model by setting up the multiracial Berjaya in 1975.
“They chose to do that instead of re-establishing Unko or Upko, even though ethnic identification in Sabah was much easier to carry out back then than it is today.” – The Vibes, January 4, 2022
