Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima Joseph Pairin Kitingan (born 17 August 1940) is a Malaysian politician who served as the 7th Chief Minister of Sabah from April 1985 to March 1994 and Member of Parliament (MP) for Keningau from August 1986 to May 2018. He is founding President of the United Sabah Party (PBS) and brother of Jeffrey Kitingan, the Deputy Chief Minister II and State Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries of Sabah and President of Homeland Solidarity Party (STAR) as well as uncle of Maximus Ongkili, the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of Sabah and Sarawak affairs and President of PBS.[1] He is the longest-serving MP in Sabah.
Joseph Pairin Kitingan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 7th Chief Minister of Sabah | |
| In office 22 April 1985 – 17 March 1994 | |
| Governor | Mohamad Adnan Robert Mohammad Said Keruak |
| Preceded by | Harris Salleh |
| Succeeded by | Sakaran Dandai |
| Member of the Malaysian Parliament for Keningau | |
| In office 3 August 1986 – 9 May 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Ahmad Shah Hussein Tambakau |
| Succeeded by | Jeffrey Kitingan |
| Huguan Siou of the Kadazandusun Cultural Association (KDCA) | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Joseph Pairin Kitingan 17 August 1940 Papar, North Borneo (now Sabah, Malaysia) |
| Citizenship | Malaysian |
| Political party | Sabah People's United Front (BERJAYA) (1976–1984) United Sabah Party (PBS) (since 1985) |
| Other political affiliations | Gagasan Rakyat (GR) (1990–1996) Barisan Nasional (BN) (1986–1990, 2002–2018) Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) (since 2020) |
| Spouse | Genevieve Lee |
| Relations | Jeffrey Kitingan (brother) Maximus Ongkili (nephew) James Peter Ongkili (nephew) |
| Children | Alexander Daniel |
| Alma mater | University of Adelaide |
| Known for | Founder and first president of United Sabah Party (PBS) |
Personal life
editPairin was born in Papar but his hometown is in the interior district of Tambunan, to a retired police officer, Datuk Francis Xavier Kitingan Sobunau (1895–1996) and his second wife, Datin Lucia Laimah Imbayan (1913–2011), natives of the said district who hailed from two villages, namely Karanaan, which was located just behind Tambunan town centre as well as Nambayan, located on the road leading to the main Interior Division town of Keningau. He attended La Salle Secondary School, an all-boys Catholic missionary school, located in Tanjung Aru, Kota Kinabalu (but prior to that, he attended a few other Catholic missionary schools namely St. David's Primary School, Toboh from primary 1 to 3, St. Theresa's Primary School, Tondulu, from primary 4 to 6 and St. Martin's Secondary School, Tampasak, from forms 1 until 3, all located in his hometown of Tambunan as well as St. Joseph's Secondary School, Papar during forms 4 to lower 6, owing to his father's job postings in the Royal Malaysia Police).[2] He later won a Colombo Plan scholarship and went on to read law at the University of Adelaide and upon completing his studies, he came back to Sabah to work as a State Counsel with the Sabah Legal Department and was later made a Deputy Public Prosecutor. Subsequently, he practised law with a local legal firm. Pairin is a Catholic, married to Genevieve Lee, a retired teacher of mixed Hakka Chinese (Sino-Native) descent. They have two sons, Alexander and Daniel, who are both trained lawyers.[3][4][5][6][7] His brother Jeffrey Gapari Kitingan is also a politician, a former vice-president of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) after being a former member of prior political parties such as Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS), Parti Angkatan Keadilan Rakyat (AKAR), United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (UPKO), Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and also the State Reform Party (STAR) and finally became the leader of his own party, Homeland Solidarity Party (STAR Sabah).
Political career
editPairin began his active political career in 1975. He was elected a Member of the Sabah Legislative Assembly for the Tambunan electorate in 1976 under the Sabah People's United Front (BERJAYA) party ticket, a party which was led by Harris Salleh (Chief Minister 1976–1985) and was appointed as a Minister in the cabinet of the ruling party. Tambunan has become his stronghold ever since.
Over time, Pairin became disillusioned with the party's leadership, and opposed some of the party's policies. He felt that the party had deviated from its original struggle. He however, remained firm with the party and subsequently, he was forced to leave the ruling party coalition in 1984.
Leadership
editIn December 1984, he challenged as an Independent candidate against the ruling party to defend his seat in the Tambunan by-election. His leadership in a state within a federation which had the official religion of Islam, was also questioned because of his religion. Pairin easily won and defended his seat with significant majority.[citation needed]
In March 1985, Pairin formed Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS). Despite overwhelming odds, he succeeded in registering PBS as a political party in the eleventh hour; thus paving the way for the party to contest against the incumbent state government in the 1985 Sabah state election in April.
PBS won a majority of 25 out of the 48 seats contested in the 1985 state elections. However, BERJAYA and the United Sabah National Organisation (USNO) joined forces submit their candidate as the chief minister, but after riots by BN followers, the newly formed coalition between BERJAYA and USNO was dissolved giving PBS the majority government.[8] Pairin was sworn in as the seventh Chief Minister of the state of Sabah. He held the post of Sabah Chief Minister from April 1985 to March 1994, during which he spearheaded his party's triumphant outings in four successive state elections (1985, 1986, 1990 and 1994).
In the 1994 state election, PBS won the election, however shortly after being announced the winner, almost all PBS assemblymen defected to Barisan Nasional. Pairin was not allowed to be sworn in as Chief Minister. Tun Sakaran Dandai of UMNO was then sworn to be the eighth Chief Minister of Sabah.[9]
On 6 June 2015, Pairin asserted a "clear connection of the incident to the 2015 Sabah earthquake that has brought about so much damage and loss of lives" by a group of European nude tourists on Mount Kinabalu.[10]
Pairin is also the Huguan Siou or Paramount Leader of the Kadazan-Dusun community by virtue of being the president of the Kadazandusun Cultural Association (KDCA), the community's principal cultural association. However, there is a growing concern that Pairin is no longer suitable to hold the Huguan Siou title and that he should give way to the younger generation.[11]
Election results
edit| Year | Constituency | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | P180 Keningau, Sabah | Joseph Pairin Kitingan (PBS) | Unopposed
| |||||||||
| 1990 | Joseph Pairin Kitingan (PBS) | |||||||||||
| 1995 | Joseph Pairin Kitingan (PBS) | 17,510 | 66.71% | Ellron Alfred Angin (PBRS) | 8,736 | 33.29% | 26,539 | 8,774 | 73.11% | |||
| 1999 | Joseph Pairin Kitingan (PBS) | 12,783 | 50.49% | Joseph Kurup (PBRS) | 12,533 | 49.51% | 25,598 | 250 | 64.05% | |||
| 2004 | Joseph Pairin Kitingan (PBS) | Unopposed
| ||||||||||
| 2008 | Joseph Pairin Kitingan (PBS) | 14,598 | 57.27% | Jeffrey Kitingan (PKR) | 10,334 | 40.53% | 25,956 | 4,264 | 72.96% | |||
| Peter Kodou (DAP) | 560 | 2.20% | ||||||||||
| 2013 | Joseph Pairin Kitingan (PBS) | 15,818 | 44.50% | Jeffrey Kitingan (STAR) | 11,900 | 33.48% | 36,098 | 3,918 | 82.73% | |||
| Stephen Sandor (PKR) | 7,825 | 22.02% | ||||||||||
| Year | Constituency | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | N24 Tambunan, P142 Keningau | Joseph Pairin Kitingan (PBS) | 4,752 | 86.88% | Bernard Wong Chung Ngin (USNO) | 499 | 9.12% | 5,515 | 4,253 | 81.41% | ||
| Albertus Ongkudon (BERJAYA) | 219 | 4.00% | ||||||||||
| 1990 | Joseph Pairin Kitingan (PBS) | 5,516 | 90.97% | Aling Amon (USNO) | 239 | 3.94% | 6,128 | 5,277 | 84.68% | |||
| Juanis Yajuni ALS Joannes Aju (AKAR) | 145 | 2.39% | ||||||||||
| Joseph Jouti Ajun (PRS) | 96 | 1.58% | ||||||||||
| Norbert Angkangon (BERJAYA) | 62 | 1.02% | ||||||||||
| Edmund Otigil (IND) | 6 | 0.10% | ||||||||||
| 1994 | Joseph Pairin Kitingan (PBS) | 6,265 | 89.46% | Martin Yong (PBRS) | 569 | 8.13% | 7,047 | 5,696 | 86.43% | |||
| Jouti Ajun (IND) | 169 | 2.41% | ||||||||||
| 1999 | N27 Tambunan, P157 Keningau | Joseph Pairin Kitingan (PBS) | 6,791 | 73.68% | Petrus Gurinting (PBRS) | 2,116 | 22.96% | 9,322 | 4,675 | 92.43% | ||
| Joseph Ajun (BERSEKUTU) | 169 | 1.83% | ||||||||||
| Juili Matimbun (SETIA) | 141 | 1.53% | ||||||||||
| 2004 | N32 Tambunan, P180 Keningau | Joseph Pairin Kitingan (PBS) | 5,297 | 72.42% | Nestor Joannes (IND) | 2,017 | 27.58% | 7,395 | 3,280 | 70.48% | ||
| 2008 | Joseph Pairin Kitingan (PBS) | 5,601 | 65.29% | Moses Micheal Iking (PKR) | 2,820 | 32.88% | 8,694 | 2,781 | 77.31% | |||
| Francis Koh Kui Tze (IND) | 157 | 1.83% | ||||||||||
| 2013 | Joseph Pairin Kitingan (PBS) | 5,586 | 48.61% | Nestor Joannes (STAR) | 3,507 | 30.52% | 11,683 | 2,079 | 85.10% | |||
| Wilfred Win Ponil (PKR) | 1,744 | 15.18% | ||||||||||
| Justin Yonsoding (IND) | 591 | 5.14% | ||||||||||
| Francis Koh Kui Tze (IND) | 63 | 0.55% | ||||||||||
| 2018 | Joseph Pairin Kitingan (PBS) | 5,099 | 38.86% | Jeffrey Kitingan (STAR) | 6,136 | 46.78% | 13,322 | 1,037 | 82.00% | |||
| Justin Alip (WARISAN) | 1,427 | 10.88% | ||||||||||
| Nestor Joannes (PCS) | 456 | 3.48% | ||||||||||
Honours
editHonours of Malaysia
edit
Malaysia :
Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (PMN) – Tan Sri (2010)[14]
Sabah :
Grand Commander of the Order of Kinabalu (SPDK) – Datuk Seri Panglima (1986)
Pahang :
Grand Knight of the Order of Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang (SSAP) – Dato' Sri (1988)
See also
edit- 1991 Sabah political arrests
- Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) or United Sabah Party
- Kadazandusun Cultural Association (KDCA)
References
edit- ^ "Pairin Moves Aside After 31 Years Ongkili Is Acting President Of PBS". The Borneo Post. 6 January 2017. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
- ^ "Past Presidents". Association of Ex-students of La Salle and Sacred Heart. Archived from the original on 27 May 2003. Retrieved 22 January 2008.
- ^ Keat Gin Ooi; Gin (2010). The A to Z of Malaysia. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 156–. ISBN 978-0-8108-7641-5.
- ^ Charles de Ledesma; Mark Lewis; Pauline Savage (2003). Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. Rough Guides. pp. 507–. ISBN 978-1-84353-094-7.
- ^ Shanti Nair (11 January 2013). Islam in Malaysian Foreign Policy. Routledge. pp. 161–. ISBN 978-1-134-96099-6.
- ^ Jeffrey A. McNeely; Paul Spencer Sochaczewski (1991). Soul of the Tiger: Searching for Nature's Answers in Southeast Asia. University of Hawaii Press. pp. 287–. ISBN 978-0-8248-1669-8.
- ^ Fausto Barlocco (4 December 2013). Identity and the State in Malaysia. Taylor & Francis. pp. 84–. ISBN 978-1-317-93238-3.
- ^ K. Ramanathan Kalimuthu (1986). "The Sabah State Elections of April 1985". Asian Survey. 26 (7). Asian Survey, Vol. 26, No. 7: 815–837. doi:10.2307/2644213. JSTOR 2644213.
- ^ Kalimullah Hassan (18 November 2007). "OPINION: Reforms yes, but not through violence in the streets". New Straits Times. Archived from the original on 21 December 2007. Retrieved 18 January 2008.
- ^ Julia Chan (6 June 2015). "Pairin: Naked tourist brought on mountain's wrath". The Malay Mail. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
- ^ Bobohizan (27 September 2015). "Pairin Need to Cease from becoming the Huguan Siou!". Bobohizan Press. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
- ^ "Keputusan Pilihan Raya Umum Parlimen/Dewan Undangan Negeri". Election Commission of Malaysia. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Percentage figures based on total turnout (including votes for candidates not listed).
- ^ "N32 Tambunan". Malaysiakini. Archived from the original on 16 June 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
- ^ "Semakan Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat".