THE DAP KDM DECLARATION
KOTA KINABALU, SABAH
January 19, 2008

We, the people of Kadazan-Dusun-Murut (KDM) of Sabah, at a DAP Sabah KDM Convention in Kota Kinabalu on January 19, 2008 hereby CALL for:

*AN ALL-OUT COMMITMENT by the people of Sabah and Malaysia to end and eradicate the underclass status of the Kadazan-Dusun-Murut (KDM) people in Sabah and Malaysia as a result of Barisan Nasional administration and policies and to restore to the KDM community an equal and rightful place in Sabah and Malaysia.

Towards this end, the following KDM Declaration is dedicated:-

PREAMBLE

In 1994 state general election 14 years ago, Barisan Nasional promised a “Sabah Baru” with the following highlights:

• To reduce poverty level in Sabah from 33 per cent to zero in the year 2,000;

• To eliminate illiteracy to zero in the year 2,000; and

• To eradicate corruption in Sabah;

• To give every Sabahan a house by the year 2,000; and

• To resolve the problem of illegal immigrants in Sabah.

Every one of these “Sabah Baru” pledges have been broken and dishonoured, with the KDM community suffering even worse political, economic, educational, social, cultural and religious marginalization to the extent that a 11-year-old Std. V Dusun pupil Donny John Dion committed suicide and hanged himself at home in Kampung Suangon in Papar parliamentary constituency because of abject poverty and marginalization of the KDM community.

END POLITICAL MARGINALISATION

When Umno entered Sabah, it promised equal political partnership and power-sharing in the state with the rotation of post of Chief Minister among the three major communities under a Barisan Nasional state government.

The new underclass status of the KDM is most apparent in the dishonouring of this power-sharing pledge, as in the past 14 years, the post of the Chief Minister had been held by a KDM for only a short period of nine months!

Can a KDM ever become a Sabah Chief Minister again?

WE CONDEMN THE BN GOVERNMENT FOR THE “DIVIDE AND RULE TACTIC” that split the KDM community politically.

WE DEMAND:

• LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTION to restore to the KDM community grass-roots democracy and a fair and full participation in local government administration to end the abuses of local government political appointment system; and

• MORE SENIOR POSTS in the Federal Government Departments in Sabah.

END ECONOMIC AND DEVELOPMENT MARGINALISATION

WE CONDEMN THE BN GOVERNMENT FOR ITS FAILURE TO BRING ABOUT POSITIVE ECONOMIC GROWTH, TO ERADICATE POVERTY, and most of all to uplift the living standard and well being of the KDM in the rural districts.

WE DEMAND THE GOVERNMENT:

• TO OPEN UP IDLE STATE LAND & YAYASAN SABAH LAND BANK FOR AGRICULTURE TO BENEFIT THE KDM COMMUNITY IN THE RURAL DISTRICTS and provide financial, skill training, and all the required assistance.

• TO PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION TO THE BASIC NEEDS OF THE KDM RURAL CHILDREN in their schools, infrastructure facilities, scholarship, health, and financial hardship.

END ETHNIC, CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS MARGINALISATION

WE STRONGLY CONDEMN the statement made by the Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ali Rustam that “IT IS EASY TO BECOME MALAY” in showing utter insensitivity and disrespect to the KDM identity.

WE DEMAND that the Constitutional rights and guarantees on freedom of religion be fully honoured and respected with an end to the host of recent violations restricting and curtailing the fundamental liberties on freedom of religion guaranteed in the Constitution and the 20 Points on Sabah’s formation of Malaysia 44 years ago.

EMPHASIS must be given by the government to accord fair and equitable attention for the development of the KDM religion and beliefs in Sabah.

END CITIZENSHIP MARGINALISATION

WE CONDEMN THE BN FOR FAILURE TO RESOLVE THE LONG STANDING PROBLEM WITH THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, WORKERS AND REFUGEES presence in Sabah which directly affect the livelihood and citizenship status of the KDM community.

WE OPPOSE the BN for granting THE REFUGEES HOLDING IMM13 and ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS with PERMANENT RESIDENT STATUS (PR), and we DEMAND THE IMM13 to BE ABOLISHED, and BE DEPORTED.

WE STRONGLY OPPOSE SPR for allowing the use of the “Blue IC” (dubious identity) to vote in the election which had been declared invalid by JPN.

END SOCIAL MARGINALINATION

WE CONDEMN THE MUSHROOMING OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SQUATTERS COLONIES which are the ROOT CAUSE OF ALL SOCIAL ILLS and CRIMES in Sabah and DEMAND THESE ILLEGAL SQUATTERS TO BE DEMOLISHED.

WE CONDEMN THE INHUMANE TREATMENT (torching and chasing out) by the BN Government IN SABAH in dealing with the land issues involving THE LOCAL KDM LIVING IN THEIR ANCESTROUS GROUND.

WE CONDEMN the BN Government FOR RELOCATING OUTSIDERS OF OTHER RACES, BELIEFS, AND CULTURES INTO TRADITIONAL KDM KAMPONGS (eg. Kampung Maang).

WE THE KDM IN DAP HEREBY MAKE THE SOLEMN PLEDGE TO PERSEVERE IN THE RIGHTFUL AND JUST CAUSE TO to end and eradicate the underclass status of the Kadazan-Dusun-Murut (KDM) people in Sabah and Malaysia and to restore to the KDM community an equal and rightful place in Sabah and Malaysia.