KOTA KINABALU: Parti KDM has accepted Sabah and Labuan Federation of Hakka Associations chairman Datuk Yong Oi Kiong as a party member and also appointed him to its supreme council.
The move by KDM, which is a native-based party with strong support in Sabah's interior areas, is seen as an attempt to consolidate its influence among the Chinese community.
In a ceremony on Monday (June 25), KDM president Datuk Peter Anthony said Yong's membership showed that KDM was not just making inroads into areas with a Kadazandusun Murut majority.
"I am happy KDM is being more accepted among the people and today, a state-level leader from the Hakka community has joined to fight alongside us for the people," said Anthony, who is also Melalap assemblyman, at Chin's Orchard Farm in Keningau.
During an event in Kudat last Saturday (June 22), Anthony announced that KDM was eyeing all seats with a Kadazandusun Murut majority in the coming Sabah elections.