KOTA KINABALU: Fledging Parti KDM is looking to capture non-Muslim native seats held by Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) and Sabah STAR in its bid to emerge as the key Kadazandusun, Murut and Rungus party.
The party has named a former chief executive officer of a bank, Datuk Jeffry Mohd Ali, to take on PBS acting president Datuk Seri Dr Joachim Gunsalam in his home base of Kundasang.
KDM is expected to name a candidate of choice to take on Sabah STAR president Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan in his family's home base of Tambunan in KDM's bid to become a major non-Muslim native-based party.
KDM deputy president Datuk Wetrom Bahanda, who is Bandau assemblyman and Kota Marudu MP, named Jeffry as the party's choice to take on Deputy Chief Minister II Dr Gunsalam for the Kundasang seat he has held since 2004.
He also named former permanent secretary at the state finance ministry Datuk Rusdin Riman to take on Sabah STAR's vice-president Datuk Abidin Madingkir for the Paginatan state seat in the soon-to-be-called state election.
KDM, a breakaway of Opposition party Warisan, was formed and led by Datuk Peter Anthony, the Melalap assemblyman, who was recently jailed three years and fined RM50,000 for a forgery case involving Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) contract.
His daughter Priscilla Peter is the acting president while Wetrom, an influential Rungus leader from northern Kota Marudu, is the party's election director.
The party has been targeting Kadazandusun, Murut and Rungus seats traditionally held by PBS and Sabah STAR as well as seats held by smaller parties like Parti Upko and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS).
"The choice of candidates are decided by the KDM supreme council and will become final when the assembly is dissolved," he said while campaigning with the Chinese community in Tamparuli about 60km from here.
He said KDM, as a multi-racial party, will be contesting solo in the coming election and was also looking at non-native seats as the party wants to provide the people with a local party option in safeguarding state rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963.
