Kadazandusun Murut Community Holds Key To Kimanis By Election Victory

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Warisan president Shafie Apdal (left) with his vice-president Peter Anthony (second left) greeting the Kadazandusun Murut community in the Lumat area in Membakut recently.BEAUFORT: As the fifth day of campaigning drew to a close in the Kimanis by-election yesterday, Warisan president Shafie Apdal found himself visiting the fourth Kadazandusun Murut (KDM) village since Saturday
At every KDM village, he makes it a point to sing the party’s special campaign song “Pembayaran Ansur-Ansur”, taken and modified from a local popular KDM song of the same title in the 1990s
Together with him on stage is Warisan vice-president Peter Anthony who is also the president of non-governmental organisation KDM Malaysia
And at every village too, particularly those with a KDM majority, Shafie finds himself defending the Sabah temporary pass (PSS) and persuading voters not to be duped by what he describes as the opposition’s spin that it is an attempt to issue citizenship to illegal immigrants
The PSS issue has become a hot and contentious topic, particularly among the KDM people, ever since it was announced by Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin last September
The government has received plenty of brickbats over its impending implementation, scheduled for June this year, while the opposition has made it a cornerstone of its campaign in Kimanis
“This is the reason why Shafie is going strong with Anthony to the KDM villages to woo them over. The one who can win their hearts and minds has a big chance of taking Kimanis,” said one villager who only wanted to be known as Ricky
Political observers say while the majority of voters are Muslim Bumiputeras, support from them, especially from the Brunei Malay community, is somewhat split between Warisan and Barisan Nasional at present, based on sentiments from the ground
Umno knows this well too and has enlisted the assistance of opposition friend, and former BN colleague, Parti Bersatu Sabah which has thrown its support behind candidate Mohamad Alamin, despite holding back earlier
The Kimanis parliamentary seat, which has 29,644 voters, comprises about 20,000 Muslim Bumiputera voters, 8,000 non-Muslim Bumiputeras, mostly from the KDM community, and some 1,000 Chinese voters
Kimanis, which encompasses the Bongawan and Membakut state seats, has traditionally been a BN stronghold, with former incumbent Anifah Aman holding the seat since 2004 before the acrimonious events leading to this by-election
But Warisan made headway in the bastion when its candidate Daud Yusof won the Bongawan seat in the last general election, beating the BN’s Mohamad Alamin, who is contesting the Kimanis seat now, by a 795-vote majority
Membakut was won by Mohd Ariffin Arif under a BN ticket but he has since joined PPBM, after leaving Umno
Villager Ansibin Rimau from Kampung Manggis, Bongawan, said Warisan appeared to be not too concerned about the Muslim votes as it was the KDM voters who were undecided
According to Ansibin, the KDMs are uncertain whether to vote for Warisan over a range of issues, chief among them being the migrant problem
“What I understand from reading media reports is that the present Warisan-led state government is overly concerned about the migrant issue. If that’s the case, how is the state government going to assist Sabahans like me?” he asked
He said Warisan had promised that PSS holders would not be granted citizenship but that they would be able to renew their cards after a three-year period unlimited times
“So is it the same as giving them citizenship or permanent residence, minus voting rights?”John Andrew Yap of Kampung Dungau.John Andrew Yap, 46, a Sino-Kadazan, however, doesn’t share Ansibin’s opinion, saying he cares little about the PSS issue as the bread and butter issues are more important to him and his wife and two children
“This PSS has been there for a long time already, only the name has changed. The IMM13 refugee card, Kad Burung-Burung and census certificate has been around since before. Many KDMs, I believe, think like me
“What we want more is basic development – a drainage system in my village and better roads… my family and I had to clear and build on our own the road to my father’s house behind mine
“We also don’t have a community hall in our village,” he told FMT when met at Kampung Dungau, a predominantly KDM village in Membakut here
Yap said he was inclined to vote for Warisan but at the same time was not 100% certain yet. “I have to see what the candidate Karim Bujang can promise us but more importantly if he can deliver.”Ricmus@Petrus Pritchard (left) with his son.Ricmus@Petrus Pritchard, 44, who is the village chief of nearby Kampung Mandangin, agreed that the PSS was a small issue, at least in his village
“Did you see the road as you came in? We have been asking for improvements since BN’s time until now. And frankly, we need a hanging bridge in our village which can cut down the walking time to Membakut village to only 30 minutes. Now it’s almost an hour
“How can Warisan lose this by-election you ask? If they don’t give us the bridge,” said the former military man
Zulaidi Zuibin of Kampung Mandangin.Zulaidi Ziubin, a Dusun from the same village, said he and his family voted Warisan for the parliamentary seat in the last general election because they wanted change, although Karim eventually lost to Anifah
“I feel this PSS issue is important but it won’t impact the KDM community much because we care more for good roads, streetlights and low-cost housing
A single row of a pre-war buildings in the old Bongawan town in the Kimanis parliamentary constituency.“Plus, this is just a by-election, not the general election. What good can come if you vote an opposition midway through? Can they bring development funds in? Probably the funds will not even come,” he said
Paddy farmer Jinori Mikil from Kampung Tahak, also in Membakut, on the other hand, believes the Sabah migrant pass is a big issue, saying he is with the opposition on it
“This encourages illegal immigrants to come and because it’s renewable after three years, it further invites them to stay longer
A motorcyclist passes by a single row of wooden shoplots built during pre-colonial times in the old Kimanis town that has since been abandoned.“From what I’m hearing, many Kimanis voters prefer the BN candidate but it’s hard to say who will win – they can say one thing but we can never know who they will vote for,” said the 57-year-old former village chief
He said BN had brought much development to his Membakut hometown. “Membakut has many buildings although the roads could be better.” - FMT

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