Pairin 'not hogging' paramount chief post
Fresh from his weekend ‘victory’ as KDCA president and Huguan Siou (paramount chief), Joseph Pairin Kitingan has denied that he is trying to hog the two positions.
KDCA, 46 years in existence this year, stands for the KadazanDusunMurut Cultural Organisation.
A rival organisation is the moribund USDA (United Sabah Dusun Association) for those who disagree with the emergence of the term Kadazan (town dwellers) to describe all Dusun (fruit orchard) communities.
Pairin has also been accused in recent weeks of hogging the presidency of the KadazanDusunMurut-based but ostensibly multiracial Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) and virtually squatting on his community. He is also a deputy chief minister and rural development minister Keningau MP and state assemblyperson for Tambunan. 
In an ironic twist of events, Pairin is today in the same position he was under Chief Minister Harris Salleh of Berjaya. It was in 1984 that he set out to topple the Berjaya government and succeeded his former boss as chief minister in early 1985 armed with the tataba (the mythical wand of power). The rest is history.
'Huguan Siou' is a revived honorary title generally held by the KDCA president since Donald Stephens @ Mohd Fuad Stephens, an Australian-Japanese, who emerged as the leader of the Kadazans and went on to become chief minister twice and governor.
He perished in a mysterious air crash along with almost his entire cabinet in 1976 shortly after his Berjaya party thrashed United Sabah National Organisation led by the charismatic Suluk leader Mustapha Datu Harun.
Although generally regarded as a warrior’s position, “a true Huguan Siou concerns himself with the art of bringing people together,” say cultural purists like local columnist Joseph Yabai.
The first Huguan Sious were priests and it was only much later that they emerged as warriors when they acquired the gayang (sword) of a warrior called Kalabatu. The very sharp sword was double-edged and as broad as a banana leaf. The Huguan Siou was supposed to be able to use the sword ambidextrously.
Pairin was in fact returned unopposed as KDCA president when his sole challenger, Clarence Bongkos Malakun, withdrew his bid at the last minute. Malakun, a former managing director of the now privatised Sabah Forest Industries and one of the few moneybags in the community, had expected Pairin to “make way” for him. 
Pairin himself has bitter memories of the former’s role in the downfall of his government in 1994 and ignored his challenger’s privately expressed intentions and lobbying. If Malakun had gone ahead with his challenge, it is likely he would have been humiliated, say KDCA leaders aligned with Pairin. Bernard Giluk Dompok (left) could have mounted a credible challenge.
Therein lies the dilemma. The community would like to see the back of Pairin “the sooner the better”, but the question is who would replace a man who has dominated the local theatre for so long and, in public perception, “avenged the public insults and humiliation that they suffered under Harris during the latter’s last days in power”.
“I have been entrusted by the delegates (KDCA) with the responsibility to lead the organisation. Those who accuse me of hogging the position clearly don’t know the process of democracy and the rules and regulations which govern an association,” said Pairin.
“I cannot run away from my responsibilities as and when I like. Saya bukan pajak (I am not monopolising).”
No politics stance
He welcomed any challenge for his post or any other position in KDCA by anyone who can contribute time and energy to bring the organisation to “a much higher level” and pointed out that “the organisation was not standing in the way of anyone and had specific rules and regulations to govern all contests for posts”. 
“Anyone contesting posts must demonstrate to the delegates their capability and show that they are sincere in their aspirations,” warned Pairin.
“At the same time, they (the losers) must accept and support leaders who are elected by the delegates through the process of democracy every three years.”
Pairin decried “repeated” attempts to inject politics into the KDCA “a non-political organisation engaged in safeguarding the culture and cultural pursuits of the KadazanDusunMurut communities”.
“It doesn’t mean that because I am the president of PBS, the KDCA has become politicised. It’s not true at all. There are no politics in KDCA. The association is for all (including Muslims) of the 700,000 members of the 40 over KadazanDusunMurut communities.”
He reeled off several “facts” to demonstrate the contributions of the KDCA under his leadership and that of his predecessor:
1) KDCA has emerged as the largest organisation of its kind in Malaysia;
2) It has proven its ability to safeguard the culture, norms and traditional practices of the KadazanDusunMurut; and
3) the organisation has produced many members of calibre in the academic, political, economic and medical fields.
For the next three years, in keeping with the theme of ‘Kearah Kerjasama Lebih Besar’ (Towards greater co-operation), Pairin reiterated that “the KDCA will review and revamp the organisation’s structure, if and where necessary, to increase the efficiency of the delivery system by placing the right people in the right places”.
He particularly wants to attract the younger generation to play a more active role in the organisation.
Two projects that the KDCA has in mind are the establishment of a KadazanDusunMurut Museum with federal and Sabah government aid; and the establishment of a Majlis Penasihat Muhibbah (Goodwill Advisory Council).
In addition to Pairin at the helm, KDCA has two deputy presidents, Jeffrey Gimpoi Kitingan (right) and Maximus Jonity Ongkili (left), his younger brother and nephew respectively, who thrashed their challengers by a wide margin.
Ongkili came in with 379 votes and Jeffrey 358 votes while Sabah consumer chief Patrick Sindu and Dr Saiman Sandah had 98 and 92 votes respectively. Ongkili is also a deputy president of PBS while the younger Kitingan is the Sabah chief of PKR and a vice-president of the party.
