Kota Kinabalu: Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM) was never a component party of Gabungan Rakyat Sabah said GRS Sec-Gen. Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali.
The clarification comes in the wake of an announcement by KDM acting president Priscilla Peter that it has decided not to support the GRS-led State Government in order to form a new alignment with local parties under a Borneo Bloc.
Armizan said that following the Sabah election last November, KDM’s sole assemblyman for Paginatan, Datuk Rusdin Riman, had expressed full support for Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Haji Noor.
“That decision made KDM (technically) part of the Sabah Government,” he said in his Facebook account, Saturday.
When contacted, Rusdin said he was not aware of the decision, as announced by KDM acting president Priscilla Peter, to withdraw support for GRS.
Rusdin said he needed time to discuss the matter further before issuing a statement. Under the Anti-Hop law, Rusdin can still support the GRS Government without resigning from KDM.
Armizan, who is also Papar MP, said he spoke to Rusdin following the party’s announcement.
“According to him (Rusdin), his commitment is to serve the community he represents and ensure the stability of the State Government so that the development agenda for the people can continue,” Armizan said.
He added that Rusdin attended an event involving government assemblymen in Kota Kinabalu on Saturday morning.
Besides Rusdin, KDM has one Member of Parliament (Kota Marudu) in Datuk Wetrom Bahanda who is also party Deputy President. However, there are indications that Wetrom may throw his support behind Barisan Nasional in the next parliamentary election.
KDM faced a near total wipeout in the November Sabah election when only Rusdin won in the 40 seats it contested. In the 2022 general election it contested seven parliamentary seats but only won one.
KDM President Datuk Peter Anthony was released on parole from Kajang prison in March, this year, where he was jailed for cheating.
Earlier, Priscella said the decision was made by the party’s Supreme Council at its annual meeting, Saturday, in preparation for the next General Election (GE).
“Today, we held the KDM annual meeting to determine the direction of our party. We also made several decisions, as outlined in my speech earlier.
“Most importantly, in preparation for the next GE, KDM and the Supreme Council have decided to move forward without being part of the GRS Government,” she told a press conference.
Priscella said the decision was not easy but important to demonstrate KDM’s direction to the people, particularly its grassroots supporters.
She said developments following the previous election were believed to have affected grassroots support, prompting KDM to take early action to regain the people’s confidence.
“What happened after the last election, I think, would certainly have affected our grassroots,” she said.
Priscella said the move was also intended to demonstrate that KDM would not act only when an election was approaching or Parliament had been dissolved, but prepare early by reconnecting with its grassroots.
Priscella said KDM might hold discussions with local parties to form a new alignment through a Borneo Bloc.
She said KDM would not contest on its own in the next GE, but explore cooperation with local parties to ensure Sabah’s voice and the interests of future generations continued to receive attention.
“Regarding the Borneo Bloc, we want our generation, particularly myself as a young leader heading this party, to have a voice for a better future for the people of Sabah and future generations.
Asked which local parties could potentially be involved in the new alignment, Priscella did not rule out Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) and Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (Star) as potential partners.
She said it was not her personal decision, but had to be discussed with the KDM Supreme Council.
Priscilla also said KDM has yet to receive any official letter or notification from Wetrom regarding his position in the party.
She said he remained the party’s deputy president for now, despite speculation that he would rejoin BN.
“That is normal in politics. But whatever it is, the festival Wetrom attended was the Rungus Festival, which is related to culture. He is also from the Rungus community, so I do not think there is any problem with that,” she said, referring to the event where he met with BN Chairman Datuk Zahid Hamidi.
Wetrom was absent at the KDM meeting.
