Wake Up Pairin Rekindles 1985 Spirit As Sabah Heads Towards Critical Vote

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A fire within former Sabah chief minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan seems to have been rekindled.
ADSNow 84, the former Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) president, long seen as a quiet elder statesman, warned Sabahans not to lose their grip on their home.
“The most important thing Sabahans must decide for this (upcoming) election is to ensure we have a government based on local parties,” said Pairin, whose face showed clear signs of frustration.
“Not parties from Malaya (national-based parties),” he added.
Pairin was speaking to a small group of journalists at the sidelines of the PBS and Sabah Star joint convention at Hongkod Koisaan in Penampang yesterday.
He had no stage, no formal speech, just a candid conversation laced with concern that, as he put it, “you people (media) never publish” what he says.
It was a moment of clarity from a man once again voicing the language of sovereignty and struggle.
Critical juncture
Pairin’s message comes at a critical moment for both the party and the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition.
GRS, the ruling state coalition, is weighing whether to go solo in the upcoming state election, without partnering with national parties.
Pairin has been down this path before.
In 1985, barely a week after founding PBS, he led the party to a surprise electoral victory against the ruling Berjaya government.
ADSIt was a defining moment, not just for Kadazandusun leadership, but for Sabah’s assertion of political autonomy.
The aftermath was chaotic. The federal government declared a brief state of emergency, and political violence broke out in the streets.
But Pairin held on. His defiance turned PBS into a symbol of resistance and, for a time, of local governance unshackled from the peninsula.
But that power did not last. In 1994, after narrowly retaining the state, PBS lost control when several of its assemblypersons defected to BN.
Many in Sabah blamed the federal ruling coalition for engineering the collapse. It also marked the start of 24 years of BN rule in the state.
By 2002, PBS had rejoined BN, a decision viewed by some as pragmatic but by others as a surrender of principle.
Critics began referring to the once-defiant PBS as a “toothless tiger” at the time. And as the years went by, Pairin’s tone became noticeably more cautious.
‘Stand up for Sabah’
Recent developments, however, appear to have stirred something within the former chief minister.
Addressing Sabah’s youths, many of whom will be voting for the first time this year, Pairin said they must “wake up”.
“Wake up. This is your home. Do not just let others decide your future while you stay quiet. Stand up for Sabah,” he said.
Although officially retired from political life, Pairin still holds considerable cultural influence as the Huguan Siou, or paramount leader of the Kadazandusun.
Paramount Leader of the Kadazandusun, Joseph Pairin KitinganIt is a lifetime title granted to one individual, entrusted to safeguard the identity, dignity and rights of the community.
The role carries no political authority, but it holds moral weight, especially when it comes to matters of land, autonomy, and cultural preservation.
Pairin’s message reflects a deep frustration among local leaders who feel Sabah has been sidelined in federal-state decision-making.
While younger politicians in GRS remain focused on seat allocations and branding strategies, Pairin’s words suggest something more fundamental is at stake.
PBS, and Sabah Star - led by Pairin’s younger brother Jeffrey Kitingan - are among the most vocal proponents for GRS to contest solo in the upcoming election.
However, GRS chief Hajiji Noor still appears to be weighing a possible partnership with Pakatan Harapan. - Mkini

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