KOTA KINABALU: For the politically influential Bahanda siblings from northern Kudat, their differing political affiliations do not affect the strong bonds within the family.
“Our family ties remain strong even though we have different political directions,” Datuk Redonah Bahanda, Gagasan Rakyat’s women’s wing chief.
Her elder brother, Kota Marudu MP Datuk Wetrom, is the deputy president of the opposition Parti KDM, and another brother, Datuk Verdon, is the Kudat MP and is spearheading the Black Wave movement to field independent candidates across Sabah.
All three siblings are plunging into the state election, wearing opposing caps, but have chosen different seats to contest.
The eldest Wetrom has decided to move out of his incumbent Bandau seat to contest the Matunggong seat, challenging PBS secretary general Datuk Julita Majungki, who was the incumbent ruling Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) candidate.
GRS has placed Redonah to contest the Bandau seat.
Verdon was heading as an independent in the Tanjung Kapor state seat held by GRS’s Ben Chong Bin, who won the seat on a Warisan ticket but defected to Gagasan Rakyat.
Redonah said that political differences within her family were a reflection of maturity and harmony in politics, rather than a cause for division.
“Kinship is more important. Politics can differ, but as a family, love must never be broken,” she said, adding that her selection as a candidate reflected GRS’s recognition of women's contribution.
Verdon, in a previous interview, also stated that the Bahanda family remained a cohesive unit, unaffected by politics.
The family's strong political influence among the ethnic Rungus communities has enabled both brothers to win the parliamentary seats for the northern peninsula of Sabah, namely Kota Marudu and Kudat.
Parti KDM, formed by the jailed party president, Datuk Peter Anthony, after he broke away from Warisan in December 2021.
It was seen as a growing non-Muslim native political party, rivalling the more established native-based Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), led by acting president Datuk Dr Joachim Gunsalam and Sabah STAR under Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan.
