Is Jeffrey weaving dreams?

Legalised illegal immigrants stand in the way of a resurgent KDM-ism which saw PBS ride to power in 1985.

KOTA KINABALU: Between coffees and latenight suppers, conversations here swirl around “wanting and having”. The mood in Sabah is somewhat mercurial. One moment there’s a feeling of change deeply digging in and next a sense of hopelessness washes over.

The groundswell spews with vigour of a resurgent KDM-ism akin to 1985 which saw the Joseph Pairin Kitingan-led Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) ride to power. (KDM is short for the collective Kadazan Dusun Murut communities).

But realism just as quickly flushes this vigour as talks of thousands of “new” Malays and legalised illegals hinder the resurgence and the restoration of the KDM communities’ most basic of needs – the right to pray without harassment, jobs in civil service, decent education for their children, cheaper food, fuel and recognition.

This “vigour” hinges on faith. Faith is the opium that KDMs in Sabah are on.

Said a Kadazan colleague: “Our religion tells us to turn the other cheek. We have been doing that for a long time, now we have lost so much. We cannot keep turning our face away. We must do something now or else they will do the same to Sarawak and Malaya.”

His concern, like all other KDMs, is the overwhelming number of non-natives who hold MyKads and ICs who have taken over the state.

According to 32-year-old Joseph, a tutor, the government statistics on legalised non-natives in Sabah is “all lies”.

“The government is not telling the truth about the immigrants. We believe immigrants already outnumber us 2 to 1. It is frightening. Our boys cannot get jobs here.

“Many of my friends are in Johor. At the place where my wife works, there are only four KDMs. The others are immigrants whose parents came from the Phillipines in the 90s. Now they are Sabahans.

“They can all vote. How can we win?” asked Joseph, who is from the Dusun community.

Still Joseph, a devout Christian, is hopeful that change will come and has pledged to vote against the Barisan Nasional (BN). His friend, Donald, 27, will also vote for the opposition because “we must save Sabah”.

‘Umno wants us to beg’
Both Joseph and Donald have heard Jeffrey Kitingan speak and are well aware of the rights compromised and losses over the years with a “fuedal” Umno in power.

Jeffery, a Harvard scholar and ex-ISA detainee, is Pairin’s younger brother and is the biblical shephard on whom the KDMs are hinging their hope.

At his ceramah in Keningau over the weekend, Jeffey was reportedly assailed with emotion at the overwhelming support he received from his brethren.

“I am very happy today and your overwhelming support will spur us to reclaim and restore our state rights as well as the rights of the people,” he said.

The reportedly 2,000-strong crowd in Keningau is not new. Jeffrey’s now famous tea-parties across Sabah last year flagging the Borneo Agenda and the “Sabah for Sabahans” call is stoking the ambers of hope in the hearts of thousands of KDMs.

The KDMs want Sabah returned to them. The Chinese, too, want that for the KDMs and even the miniscule pockets of Indians and others believe that the rights of the natives must be restored.

“Only Umno wants us on our knees and begging..,” said Johan, a Murut officer hailing from Sipitang, a township some 150km from Kota Kinabalu, which incidentally Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is to visit on Feb 16.

“We teach our children that cheating and lying is wrong, but look at what has happened to Sabah. Our people are poor, education is a luxury and money is scarce.

“They say we have development, they say we have progress, but the people are beggars.

“There is so much land in Sabah. We should be self-sustaining after 48 years but we are not.

“We must do something now. We believe it can happen,” said Johan, who was among the 4,000-odd people who had flocked to witness the launch of the Sabah chapter of the STAR, which Jeffrey helms, on Jan 6.

‘Blood is thicker than water’

Will the droves of people who turn up at Jeffrey’s programmes translate into votes?

Can Jeffrey tear down Umno-BN? Need he, even, do so knowing that his brother Pairin is Chief Minister Musa Aman’s declared ally?

The last time Jeffrey called out to his KDM brothers was in 2008; he was then PKR Sabah chief.

The response was “indicative”, said a senior journalist, adding, “it was a tight fight in many areas”.

Jeffrey is no more with PKR. He now helms STAR but many here still associate him with PKR.

Many here also believe that “blood is thicker than water” in reference to Pairin and Jeffrey’s ties and that in no way was STAR’s birth possible without the blessing of Pairin vis-a-vis Musa.

Indeed, we live in interesting and somewhat confusing times.

Sabah contributes a sizeable chunk of funds to Putrajaya’s coffers and offers land opportunities for the Umno zealots.

To lose Sabah is to lose billions of ringgit, so Sabah must be won at all cost even if it means making compromises and bedding with “acquaintances”.

Musa’s money will buy wins

Prophercy has it that BN will lose Sabah.

A Catholic resident in Kota Belud who had rightly predicted the outcome of Sabah polls in 2004 and 2008 predicted that the ruling coalition will suffer heavy losses.

“BN kalah kali ini (BN will lose this time). Kalah di banyak tempat (lose in many areas),” said the 73-year-old Dominicus, who is also known around the constituency as a healer.

Umno members themselves are spouting the same tune. Rumblings here and in Tuaran, Kota Belud, Tambatuaon, Kinabatangan and Sipitang speak of BN suffering “deep defeats” in the coming polls “if it is a fair election”.

Said one Umno insider from Tempasuk, some 100km from here: “Umno will lose some seats and so will PBS and Upko and PBRS (all BN allies).

“I think PBS can only maybe win three or four seats. It will be very bad for PBS. Umno needs its partners to do well or everything will be lost.

“Musa knows this. He will use his money to make sure BN wins everywhere.”

And even if Musa manages to buy his wins, there is no guarantee that the elected representatives will not leapfrog to another party, if BN loses its war in the peninsula.

Sabah, as one journalist put it, is famous for its “human frogs. They’ll go where the flies are”.

Post-2008, Jeffrey was said to have had ready several MPs who were prepared to jump to Pakatan Rakyat and help them take charge of Putrajaya. But that somehow fizzled out.

Will this time be any different? Can Jeffrey stir a political tsunami against a fortified BN?

Up against a wall
Said one opposition veteran politician: “You can’t doubt Jeffrey’s vision. He’s brilliant but he’s also scratching his head about how to achieve this vision.

“He’s facing a wall, up against BN’s machinery and a divided opposition.

“Frankly, if Najib calls for an election now, I can tell you that we are not ready.

“I can tell you SAPP is not ready, STAR is not ready. Don’t talk about Usno. The party is not registered yet.

“We also have to think about Pakatan. They want to contest everywhere and push out the local parties. How to settle this?

“The KDMs are not the type to revolt and kill. There won’t be a rebellion or revolution. We can only do it with a X on the box.

“But even if every KDM voted us, we would still lose because they have the immigrants, the new MyKad holders and postal voters. But we must have hope, we must believe in the dream.”

Having said that, the observer is also quick to add that what is important now is getting the people to believe that they need to take back what is rightfully theirs.

“We have lost a whole generation to BN’s brainwashing. Now we must teach them to think again and fight for what is rightfully theirs, ” he said.