Social Democratic Harmony Party
Social Democratic Harmony Party | |
|---|---|
| Malay name | Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat |
| Abbreviation | KDM |
| President | Priscella Peter |
| Deputy Presidents | Vacant (non-Muslim bumiputera) Wetrom Bahanda (Muslim bumiputera) |
| Vice-Presidents | Johair Matlani Laimon Laiki Martin Tommy Henry Saimpon |
| Secretary-General | Willie Jude |
| Treasurer-General | David Lo Ho Ping |
| Information Chief | Oswald Aisat Ellik Iggau |
| Founder | Peter Anthony Juil Nuatim |
| Founded | 28 January 2022 |
| Registered | 18 February 2022 |
| Split from | Heritage Party (WARISAN) |
| Headquarters | Tenom, Sabah |
| Women Chief | Anna Maria Bernadus |
| Youth Chief | Jumardie Lukman |
| Ideology | Sabah regionalism Multiracialism Kadazandusun and Murut interests Localism |
| National affiliation | National Unity Government (since 2022) |
| Regional affiliation | Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (allied since 2022) |
| Dewan Negara: | 0 / 70 |
| Dewan Rakyat: | 2 / 26 (Sabah and Labuan seats) |
| Sabah State Legislative Assembly: | 1 / 79 |
| This article is part of a series on the |
| Politics of Malaysia |
|---|
The Social Democratic Harmony Party (Malay: Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat; abbrev: KDM) is a regional political party based in Sabah, Malaysia founded by Peter Anthony and Juil Nuatim It aims to represent the interests of the Kadazan-Dusun and Murut people. The KDM is currently aligned to the government as a partner, providing confidence and supply to the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) state ruling coalition led by Chief Minister Hajiji Noor. The party's acronym, KDM, is also used to refer to the native Kadazan-Dusun and Murut communities.
History
KDM was founded as a political party on 28 January 2022.[1] Its founding President Peter Anthony, considered a political strongman in Tenom, was a Member of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Melalap, State Minister of Infrastructure Development of Sabah, as well as a Vice-President of the Heritage Party (WARISAN).
He left WARISAN exactly a month before the founding of KDM on 28 December 2021 along with Limbahau MLA, Juil Nuatim.[2][3] He claimed WARISAN "had diverted from its original path of serving Sabah" by expanding to Peninsular Malaysia, and denied that his exit was linked to an ongoing court case against him over false documents.[4] Following Juil and Peter's exit, they were approached by the Homeland Solidarity Party (STAR), a major Kadazan-Dusun Murut party, but decided to persist with founding a new party that would be aligned with the ruling Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition.[5][6]
It was officially registered with the Registrar of Societies (RoS) on 18 February 2022, with Peter as president.[7][8]
The party's official launch was officiated by GRS leader and Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor.[9][10] However, the party is not a member of the coalition, and its application has faced pushback from the United Sabah Party (PBS), another major Kadazan-Dusun Murut party.[11]
Priscella Peter, the daughter of Peter Anthony, became president upon his conviction in court.[12]
List of leaders
List of presidents
| No. | Portrait | President | Term start | Term end | Time in office | Deputy Presidents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peter Anthony (born 1971) MLA for Melalap, 2018–2025 |
28 January 2022 | 7 March 2025 | 3 years, 38 days | Juil Nuatim (non-Muslim bumiputera, 2022–2023) Wetrom Bahanda (Muslim bumiputera, since 2022) Priscella Peter (non-Muslim bumiputera, 2023–2025) | |
| 2 | Priscella Peter (born 1998) |
7 March 2025 | Incumbent | 290 days | Wetrom Bahanda (Muslim bumiputera, since 2022) Vacant (non-Muslim bumiputera, since 2025) |
Leadership structure
- President:
- Deputy Presidents:
- Vacant (non-Muslim bumiputera)
- Wetrom Bahanda (Muslim bumiputera)
- Vice-Presidents:
- Johair Matlani
- Laimon Laiki
- Martin Tommy
- Henry Saimpon
- Women's Wing Chief:
- Anna Maria Bernadus
- Youth Wing Chief:
- Jumardie Lukman
- Secretary-General:
- Willie Jude
- Treasurer-General:
- David Lo Ho Ping
- Information Chief:
- Oswald Aisat Ellik Iggau
Elected representatives
Dewan Rakyat (House of Representatives)
Social Democratic Harmony Party has 2 MPs in the House of Representatives.
| State | No. | Parliament constituency | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sabah | P168 | Kota Marudu | Wetrom Bahanda | KDM | |
| P181 | Tenom | Riduan Rubin | KDM | ||
| Total | Sabah (2) | ||||
Dewan Undangan Negeri (State Legislative Assembly)
Malaysian State Assembly Representatives
Sabah State Legislative Assembly
Social Democratic Harmony Party has 1 MLA in the Sabah State Legislative Assembly.
| State | No. | Parliamentary Constituency | No. | State Assembly Constituency | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sabah | P179 | Ranau | N38 | Paginatan | Rusdin Riman | KDM | |
| Total | Sabah (1) | ||||||
Parliamentary general election results
| Election | Total seats won | Seats contested | Total votes | Share of votes | Outcome of election | Election leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2 / 222
|
7 | 52,054 | 0.34% | 2 seats; Governing coalition (Social Democratic Harmony Party) |
Peter Anthony |
State election results
| State election | State Legislative Assembly | |
|---|---|---|
| Sabah | Total won / Total contested | |
| 2/3 majority | 2 / 3
|
2 / 3
|
| 2025 | 1 / 73
|
1 / 40
|
References
- ^ "New political party to be launched on Jan 28, says ex-Warisan VP Peter Anthony". The Star.
- ^ "Peter expected to quit". The Star.
- ^ "Peter Anthony quits Warisan". The Star.
- ^ "Shafie: Peter Anthony left Warisan because of court case, party's expansion not a factor". The Star.
- ^ "Join Sabah STAR for native unity, Jeffrey Kitingan tells Peter and Juil". The Star.
- ^ "Former Warisan veep to go ahead with forming new party". The Star.
- ^ "Peter gets Parti KDM registered, set to work with GRS". The Star.
- ^ "Ronnie Loh revealed as one of five Parti KDM vice-presidents". The Star.
- ^ "Gabungan Rakyat Sabah now a single entity, says Hajiji".
- ^ "Up to Hajiji to decide if KDM can be part of GRS, says Peter Anthony".
- ^ "PBS confirms it did not send any reps to Parti KDM launch".
- ^ "Peter Anthony's daughter Priscella, 27, steps up as Sabah's KDM party president after his conviction". Malay Mail. 8 March 2025. Retrieved 5 November 2025.