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By Social activist Lesaya Lopog Sorudim<\/p>\n\n\n\n
KOTA KINABALU: The recent Court of Appeal decision against Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM) President Peter Anthony, resulting in his jail term, has raised concerns about the party\u2019s future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Given his central role in KDM\u2019s formation and growth, some may assume that this marks the beginning of the party\u2019s decline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, such assumptions may be premature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The emergence of strong leaders within KDM\u2014including Deputy President Dato Wetrom Bahanda, his brother Kudat MP Dato Verdon Bahanda, and Peter’s son or daughter\u2014suggests that the party may be on the brink of a new era rather than its downfall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Leadership Challenge or a Political Rebirth?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Peter Anthony\u2019s legal troubles pose a significant challenge for KDM, but they also present an opportunity for the party to restructure and reinforce its leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead of relying on a single figure, KDM now has the chance to distribute power among capable individuals who can extend its influence across multiple communities in Sabah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Bahanda Brothers: Strengthening the Rungus Community\u2019s Political Influence<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A key development in KDM\u2019s potential resurgence is the possible collaboration between Deputy President Dato Wetrom Bahanda and his brother, Kudat MP Dato Verdon Bahanda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both are influential figures in the Rungus community, and their combined leadership could consolidate Rungus political strength under KDM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although Verdon is listed as an independent in Parliament, if he teams up with Wetrom, the Bahanda brothers have the potential to unify the Rungus people, expanding KDM\u2019s support base beyond its current reach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another significant player in KDM\u2019s future is Peter Anthony’s son or daughter, thus providing the party with strong representation in the Murut community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By bringing the Murut and Rungus communities together under the leadership of the Bahanda brothers and other KDM leaders could establish itself as the leading voice for Sabah\u2019s indigenous groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A New Political Powerhouse in Sabah?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If Dato Verdon Bahanda could officially join forces with his brother Wetrom and other leaders within KDM, the party could reshape the political landscape in Sabah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This alliance would bring together the strength of the Rungus and Murut communities, creating a formidable political force capable of challenging larger parties in the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
KDM\u2019s core mission of advocating for indigenous rights and regional development would gain even greater credibility with these leaders at the helm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While Peter Anthony\u2019s legal troubles are a setback, they do not mark the end of KDM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In fact, the party may be on the verge of an even stronger future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the Bahanda brothers potentially consolidating Rungus political influence and Peter’s supporters in Tenom in rallying the Murut community, KDM could emerge as a major political force in Sabah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, don\u2019t write off KDM just yet\u2014the party\u2019s most impactful chapter may still be ahead.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Social activist Lesaya Lopog Sorudim KOTA KINABALU: The recent Court of Appeal decision against Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat (KDM) President Peter Anthony, resulting in his jail term, has raised concerns about the party\u2019s future. Given his central role in KDM\u2019s formation and growth, some may assume that this marks the beginning of the party\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":34487,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-34486","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-local-news"},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jesseltontimes.com\/wpmarch2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34486","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jesseltontimes.com\/wpmarch2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jesseltontimes.com\/wpmarch2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jesseltontimes.com\/wpmarch2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jesseltontimes.com\/wpmarch2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34486"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/jesseltontimes.com\/wpmarch2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34486\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34504,"href":"https:\/\/jesseltontimes.com\/wpmarch2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34486\/revisions\/34504"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jesseltontimes.com\/wpmarch2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34487"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jesseltontimes.com\/wpmarch2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34486"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jesseltontimes.com\/wpmarch2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34486"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jesseltontimes.com\/wpmarch2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34486"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}