Donald Peter Mojuntin

Summary

Datuk Donald Peter Mojuntin (born 1965) is a Sabah-based lawyer and politician who currently serves as UPKO Deputy President and Moyog state assemblyman following his victory in the November 2025 Sabah state election. He has previously served as MP for Penampang (2004–2008), MLA for Moyog (2008–2013), and Senator (2018–2021), and has held executive positions including Sabah Assistant Finance Minister. His political career is consistently anchored in advocating for Sabah's constitutional revenue rights under MA63 and addressing rural infrastructure needs in Penampang.

Biography

Datuk Donald Peter Mojuntin (born 26 January 1965, Kampung Kambau, Donggongon, Penampang) is a Malaysian politician and lawyer who currently serves as the Member of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Moyog, having won the seat at the 17th Sabah State Election on 29 November 2025 [1]. He is the Deputy President of the United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (UPKO) [2]. He previously served as MP for Penampang from March 2004 to March 2008, MLA for Moyog from March 2008 to May 2013, and as a Senator from December 2018 to December 2021 [2]. He trained as a lawyer, beginning his legal career at the firm Richard Malanjum, Idang & Rantau in 1991 before establishing his own practices [2]. He subsequently served as Political Secretary to the Sabah Minister of Tourism and Environment (1995), Political Secretary to then-Chief Minister Bernard Giluk Dompok (1998), and Private Secretary to the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (2001–2003) [2]. During his earlier tenure as Moyog MLA, he held executive positions as Sabah Assistant Minister of Resources and Information Technology Development (2008–2010) and Sabah Assistant Finance Minister (2010–2013) [2]. He is the son of the late Datuk Peter Joinod Mojuntin, who served as Sabah's Minister of Housing and Local Government before dying in the Double Six plane crash of 6 June 1976 [2]. UPKO withdrew from the Pakatan Harapan coalition before the November 2025 Sabah election and, as of May 2026, applied to join the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition [3].

Known for

Donald Peter Mojuntin is known as a consistent advocate for Sabah's constitutional rights, particularly the state's claim to 40% of federal revenue under Articles 112C and 112D of the Federal Constitution and the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) [4][5]. He is also recognised as the son of the late Datuk Peter Joinod Mojuntin, a revered Kadazan leader who died in the 1976 Double Six plane crash, and has carried forward advocacy linked to that historical legacy, including calls for the declassification of the crash report and the lifting of a ban on his father's biography [1]. His 2025 Moyog victory, contesting as an independent-aligned UPKO candidate outside both the PH and GRS coalitions, marked a return to the state assembly after more than a decade [1].

Political positions

Donald Peter Mojuntin's central political position is that federal allocations to Sabah cannot be equated with the state's constitutionally guaranteed 40% revenue entitlement under the Federal Constitution and MA63 [4]. He has called on the federal government to provide official recognition and implementation of this right, not merely conditional grants or development loans [5]. On infrastructure and constituency matters, he has advocated community-driven, low-cost solutions for rural Sabah — specifically gravity water systems, minor road repairs, and disaster resilience — without reliance on lengthy bureaucratic approvals [1]. On water supply policy, he has argued that Sabah, with the country's highest average annual rainfall, should expand coastal reservoirs rather than build new conventional dams, citing environmental concerns and unresolved commitments to communities previously displaced by the Babagon Dam [5]. He has also been active in seeking the lifting of the government ban on the biography of his late father, framing it as a matter of historical transparency and Sabah's political heritage [1].

Education

1. Early 1970s–1983Attended Sacred Heart Primary School and La Salle Secondary School in Sabah, and later Ratcliffe College.⛓

Before politics

1. 1991–1992Began legal career at law firm Richard Malanjum, Idang & Rantau.⛓
2. 1992–1993Established own law firm, Mojuntin & Doudilim.⛓
3. 1994–1995Renamed law firm to Donald Mojuntin & Seibing Gunting.⛓

Political career

1. 1994Joined UPKO (then known as Sabah Democratic Party/PDS) Penampang division; appointed Member of UPKO Supreme Council and Chairman of UPKO Kepayan Division.⛓
2. 1995Appointed Political Secretary to the Sabah Minister of Tourism and Environment.⛓
3. 1998Appointed Political Secretary to the Chief Minister of Sabah, Bernard Giluk Dompok.⛓
4. 2001–2003Served as Private Secretary to the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department.⛓
5. March 2004Elected as Member of Parliament for Penampang in the 11th Malaysian General Election.⛓
6. March 2008Did not defend Penampang parliamentary seat; elected instead as Moyog Member of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly in concurrent state elections.⛓
7. 2008–2010Served as Sabah Assistant Minister of Resources and Information Technology Development.⛓
8. 2010–2013Served as Sabah Assistant Finance Minister.⛓
9. May 2013Lost Moyog state seat; Moyog subsequently changed hands.⛓
10. December 2018Appointed Senator (Dewan Negara); served until December 2021.⛓
11. November 2019Elected Deputy President of UPKO.⛓
12. August 2021Appointed Vice President of Pakatan Harapan (PH).⛓
13. November 2025Named UPKO candidate for Moyog in the 17th Sabah State Election; UPKO contested outside of PH following the party's withdrawal from the coalition.⛓
14. 29 November 2025Won the Moyog state seat in the 17th Sabah State Election, defeating Warisan vice-president Terrence Siambun.⛓
15. May 2026UPKO, with Mojuntin as one of three elected state representatives, formally applied to join the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) governing coalition.⛓

Election history

• 2025Moyog (State)Won⛓
• 2013Moyog (State)Lost⛓
• 2008Moyog (State)Won⛓
• 2004Penampang (Parliamentary)Won⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• VerifiedFactsDonald Peter Mojuntin won the Moyog state seat on 29 November 2025, defeating Warisan vice-president Terrence Siambun in a 12-cornered contest. He is one of three UPKO elected state representatives alongside Ewon Benedick (Kadamaian) and Madius Tangau (Tamparuli). UPKO applied to join GRS in May 2026.⛓
• GovernmentUPKO, through Mojuntin and party president Ewon Benedick, pledged full support for GRS chairman Hajiji Noor to continue as Sabah chief minister after the November 2025 election, and subsequently applied to formally join GRS.⛓
• OppositionUPKO's decision to quit Pakatan Harapan just before nomination day in November 2025 was characterised by observers as a strategic move that allowed the party to contest independently and secure an additional seat in Tamparuli, according to Malay Mail.⛓
• PublicMoyog has an 84% Kadazanmurut majority and has long been seen as a bellwether for Kadazandusun-majority areas, with voters described by pre-election reports as focused on practical delivery of clean water, road repairs, and rural services.⛓