By Datuk Michael S. Malanjun
Chairman KDCA Branch Kampung Soboong / Boliga
Ex Vice President KDCA 2022-2025
Unilateral Appointments Under Scrutiny
PENAMPANG: The Kadazan Dusun Cultural Association (KDCA) is facing a wave of public discontent over recent appointments to its Central Committee for the 2025–2028 term. KDCA President Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan has exercised unilateral appointment powers to fill key leadership positions, a move that many community members are criticizing as lacking transparency and fairness. Traditionally seen as the guardian of Kadazan-Dusun heritage, the KDCA’s leadership is now under scrutiny for decisions that observers say break with precedent and side-line democratic choice.
Defying Election Results
One of the most questioned moves is the appointment of Datuk John Anthony as a KDCA Deputy President despite his defeat in the election for that very post. In the KDCA’s recent AGM on 23/03/2025, delegates cast their votes for the association’s Deputy President, yet John Anthony—who lost that contest—was later handpicked by President Pairin to assume the Deputy President role. This extraordinary decision has prompted outrage and confusion: How can someone who failed to secure the members’ mandate be elevated to the second-highest office? Critics argue that this appointment not only overrides the members’ democratic choice but also undermines the integrity of the election process. The President’s prerogative to appoint committee members is being viewed as overreach in this instance. Community voices are asking whether such power is being used judiciously or simply to entrench the President’s preferred circle in the KDCA Central Committee.
Consolidation of Power in One Individual
Further fuelling the controversy is the expanded role of Datuk Joseph Paulus Lantip who has been simultaneously appointed as one of the three appointed Deputy Presidents while retaining his long-held position as Treasurer General, effectively consolidating two influential posts in one person’s hands. Long-time KDCA members note that never before has one individual wielded such dual authority in the association. This concentration of power is raising red flags about checks and balances within the KDCA. Members worry that giving one person unprecedented control over both leadership decisions and financial matters could diminish accountability. It is highly unusual for a single figure to hold two key offices at once, and many are uneasy with the implications for good governance in KDCA.
The double appointment of Lantip has also come at the expense of YB Datuk Seri Jahid Jahim—a current Cabinet Minister and previously the only Muslim Deputy President in KDCA. Traditionally, one appointed Deputy President post has always been held by a senior Muslim leader, such as the late Tan Sri Ghani Gilong or Datuk Osman Minudin. Now, for the first time, all appointed Deputy Presidents are non-Muslims.
Ouster of Veteran Members
Adding to the dismay is the removal of several long-serving KDCA figures. These individuals have dedicated years, some even decades, to the Association’s activities and the annual Kaamatan Festival celebrations. Their sudden absence from the Central Committee has been met with anger by local members who see it as a purge of experienced voices. Most striking is the dismissal of Mr. James Kenson, the representative of Ko-Pusaka – the cooperative that donated the very land on which KDCA’s headquarters stands. Mr. Kenson’s ouster is viewed as a profound show of ingratitude. Community elders recall that the contribution of land by Ko-Pusaka was instrumental in establishing KDCA’s Hongkod Koisaan cultural hall decades ago, providing a home for Kadazan-Dusun heritage. By removing a direct link to that legacy from the KDCA committee, the current leadership is perceived as disrespecting the Association’s own history and the people who donated the 9 acres land, formerly owned by Kg. Koidupan Grazing Reserve, to KDCA in 1988.
Other prominent KDCA veteran leaders that have been removed from the KDCA line-up are Datuk Stephen Sondoh (KDCA Putatan), Datuk Sebastian Anjim (KDCA Kuala Penyu), Datuk Michael Malanjun (KDCA Penampang) and Datuk Steven Beliku (KDCA Inanam) who had all served voluntarily and sacrificed their time and efforts to strengthen KDCA for the past number of years.
Another disturbing development in the new KDCA Management team is their proposed plans to do commercial development at the KDCA grounds. This have sparked alarm about displacing nearby villagers and overriding the rights of KDCA life members who consider the site a communal treasure. These life members feel that their lifelong contributions give them a moral stake in how the land is used. They worry that turning it into a tourism hub for profit would betray the cultural purpose of the land. The KDCA’s Hongkod Koisaan building, adorned with symbolic gongs, stands as a testament to Kadazan-Dusun heritage and unity. Community members fear that redeveloping this historic site into a proposed duty-free tourism centre could erase a crucial piece of their cultural and historical identity.
Cultural Heritage at Risk
Open declaration by the KDCA Management team to embark on the Commercial Development of KDCA site have unsettled the local Kadazan-Dusun people who regards the KDCA grounds are more than just real estate – they are a symbol of cultural identity, a gathering place for festivals, rituals, and the preservation of language and traditions. The idea that this space could be commercialized and potentially cordoned off for tourists and duty-free shoppers has villagers in the area feeling anxious and betrayed. They fear losing access to a heritage site that has always been open to the community. Moreover, KDCA life members – individuals who paid one-time fees to support the association and secure a lifelong connection to it – are concerned that their rights and privileges could be disregarded if the land’s purpose shifts from cultural to commercial. Such a move might effectively erase or relocate longstanding cultural practices that have always been held on these grounds. In short, the heart and soul of Kadazan-Dusun heritage in Penampang appears endangered by development ambitions.
The Kg. Koidupan Grazing Reserve land was originally the brainchild of the late Datuk Peter Mojuntin, who worked hard to have the land gazetted as a kampung reserve. After his passing in 1976, his legacy was continued by his brother, Datuk Conrad Mojuntin (as Chairman of the Koidupan Reserve), as well as by the late Datuk Ledwin Mobijon (Deputy Chairman).
The sacrifices of these past leaders and villagers now appear to be conveniently forgotten by the current KDCA management team who have already declared intention to redevelop the Hongkod Koisaan site which will involve the demolition of all the cultural houses to make way for a hotel, condominium blocks, and a multi-storey car park.
In future the existing rights of the former landowners and life members will be disregarded. Even if villagers are allowed to enter the redeveloped complex, they may be subject to entry or parking fees.
The KDCA joint venture partner, a developer from China, will almost certainly not recognize the rights of the villagers or KDCA life members. If the President can so easily remove Ko-Pusaka’s sole representative from the Central Committee, what hope do the villagers and KDCA life members have in safeguarding their rights in the years to come?
Breaking with Precedent and Community Trust
Underlying all these specific concerns is a broader feeling that the KDCA leadership has strayed from the organization’s founding principles of community consensus and cultural stewardship. Long-time observers note that the current situation is without precedent – previous KDCA presidents, including Pairin in his earlier terms, generally balanced their appointment powers with respect for election outcomes and consultation with the elected candidates. The abrupt manner in which these appointments and removals were conducted has been interpreted as a lack of transparency. Members expected a clear rationale for why certain individuals were chosen or dropped, especially in an association that preaches unity (Koisaan) and cultural respect. Instead, they are left questioning the motives: Was it to shut up the mouth of people who questioned the accuracy of the KDCA accounts especially when the money came mostly from Government grants, both State and Federal? The Management’s silence on these questions has only deepened suspicions and why the accounts since 2021 were not properly audited nor presented at the KDCA Conference.
Community respect is another casualty of this saga. Many Kadazan-Dusun feel that the spirit of gotong-royong (mutual cooperation) that KDCA is supposed to embody has been cast aside. Decisions that affect the community’s cultural future – from who leads the association to what happens to its sacred meeting grounds – were made unilaterally, without the customary discussions or elders’ council input that people have come to expect. Such top-down actions risk alienating the very community the KDCA represents.
A Call for Transparency and Respect
As the dust settles on the 2025–2028 Central Committee appointments, calls are emerging for KDCA’s leadership to reaffirm its commitment to democratic values and cultural guardianship. Critics and supporters alike are urging Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan and his management team to address the community’s concerns openly. There is also growing sentiment that respect must be shown to those who have contributed to KDCA’s legacy – whether by honouring election results, valuing veteran members’ counsel, or safeguarding historical sites.
Ultimately, the KDCA stands at a crossroads. The current leadership’s actions have undeniably sparked worry and dissent, but they also present an opportunity to engage and unite the community in dialogue. By choosing transparency over secrecy and collaboration over unilateralism, the KDCA’s President can begin to rebuild trust. In doing so, he should honour not just the Association’s constitution but the very cultural ethos of the Kadazan-Dusun people – one that cherishes unity, heritage, and mutual respect above all.
