KOTA KINABALU: Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (Parti KDM) is eyeing all seats with a Kadazandusun Murut majority in the coming Sabah elections.
Speaking at the party’s Karamazan Kokotuan celebration in Matunggong, Kota Marudu on Saturday (June 22), its president Datuk Peter Anthony also announced it will contest all three state seats in the parliamentary constituency.
It is aiming to breach Parti Bersatu Sabah’s (PBS) traditional strongholds in Kota Marudu as it eyes the party's two seats, Tandek and Matunggong.
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The third seat of Bandau, one of the 13 new state seats approved by the Dewan Rakyat in 2019, is held by KDM deputy president and Kota Marudu MP Datuk Wetrom Bahanda.
He won the seat on a Bersatu ticket in the 2020 state election.
Anthony noted that KDM should begin work soon as the 17th state election, due in October next year, could be called at any time.
“We have yet to start work, while other parties have mobilised their machinery.
"As such, I am announcing today (Saturday) that Parti KDM will be contesting all three state seats in Kota Marudu, as well as all Kadazandusun Murut seats in Sabah,” he said.
He said apart from these seats, the party is also keen to vie for mixed constituencies such as Pitas and Pintasan.
He added that party members from the grassroots level up need to strengthen their preparations to ensure victory.
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“The people of Sabah must be brave enough to make changes as the current government is still 'weak' in addressing various public issues, including water, electricity, roads and the economy,” he said.
Melalap assemblyman Anthony was among the pioneer leaders of Parti Warisan and was its vice president before leaving to form KDM in January 2022.
When announcing the party’s formation two years back, he said it was not meant to cause disunity among the Kadazandusun Murut community but would work to further unite the people and provide them with an alternative political platform.
He also said his party would help as many Sabahans as it could, irrespective of race or religion.
