Jeffrey Kitingan

Summary

Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan (born 1948) is the MP for Keningau and president of Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR), a Sabah-based party he founded in 2016 to champion the state's constitutional rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963. A PhD holder from Tufts University, he served as Sabah's Deputy Chief Minister I from January 2023 to November 2025, and has been a persistent advocate in Parliament for equitable federal-state revenue sharing and greater Sabah autonomy. Following the 17th Sabah State Election in November 2025, STAR moved to the state opposition bench, with Kitingan signalling the party will support only policies that uphold Sabah's constitutional entitlements.

Biography

Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Gapari Kitingan (born 22 October 1948) is a Malaysian politician and president of Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR), serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Keningau since May 2018 [1]. He simultaneously holds the Tambunan state seat in the Sabah State Legislative Assembly, which he has also held since May 2018 [1]. Educated at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, where he earned a Master of Public Administration, he also holds a PhD awarded in 1984 from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University [1]. He is the younger brother of former Sabah Chief Minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan [1]. Jeffrey began his political career in 1990 with Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) and subsequently passed through multiple parties — including AKAR, PBS, PBRS, PKR, and the Sarawak-based STAR — before founding his own Sabah-based party, Homeland Solidarity Party (STAR), in 2016 [1]. He was detained without trial under the Internal Security Act (ISA) from 13 May 1991, and by his own account was held for 26 months before being released in December 1994; he has consistently maintained the detention was politically motivated [2]. At the federal level, he previously served as Deputy Minister of Housing and Local Government (1994–1995) and Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture (March–September 2020) [1]. At the state level, he served as Deputy Chief Minister of Sabah, rising to Deputy Chief Minister I from January 2023 until November 2025, and concurrently as State Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food Industry [1]. Following the 17th Sabah State Election in November 2025, STAR moved to the opposition bench [3]. He was conferred the title of Datuk Seri Panglima (Grand Commander of the Order of Kinabalu) in 2020 [4].

Known for

Jeffrey Kitingan is most identified with the long-running campaign to restore Sabah's constitutional and financial rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), including the state's entitlement to a 40% net revenue share from the federal government [2]. He is also recognised for his role in founding and leading STAR, a Sabah-based party that contests from the position that Sabah's state government should be formed exclusively by local parties [3]. His 26-month ISA detention in the early 1990s, which he attributes to his advocacy for Sabah's rights, has become a defining element of his political identity [2][3].

Political positions

Jeffrey Kitingan's overarching position is that Sabah's constitutional entitlements under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) and the 20-point safeguards have been systematically eroded and must be restored. He has called for a comprehensive review of federal laws that he claims have encroached on the state's constitutional powers and financial entitlements under MA63 [5]. He argues that Sabah's annual revenue could exceed RM30 billion if all constitutional entitlements owed to the state were fully implemented, and that the RM6.43 billion projected under the Sabah 2026 Budget represents only a fraction of what the state is constitutionally owed [3]. He insists that the federal government's 40% revenue share obligation to Sabah is a constitutional right distinct from development allocations, and the two must not be conflated [2]. On federal budget equity, he has cited disparities in flood mitigation and development expenditure between Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah [2]. He has called for a restructuring of the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) to include sub-regional authorities for Sabah and Sarawak, and linked high airfare to reduced tourism and economic impact in Sabah [6]. He has called on Malaysia to file a diplomatic protest against China and the United Nations over Chinese military activities in the South China Sea [2]. On constituency representation, he advocates for additional parliamentary seats for larger interior constituencies on the basis that geographic size, not just population density, should be a criterion [2]. Since the 2025 Sabah State Election, STAR operates as an opposition party, with Kitingan stating the party will support policies that protect Sabah and oppose any move that undermines MA63 or the constitution [3].

Education

1. Before 1984Earned a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.⛓
2. 1984Awarded a PhD from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University.⛓

Before politics

1. Early 1990sServed as Director of the Institute for Development Studies (IDS) and head of the Sabah Foundation before his ISA detention.⛓

Political career

1. 1990Began his political career with Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) alongside his brother Joseph Pairin Kitingan.⛓
2. 13 May 1991Detained without trial under the Internal Security Act (ISA). He has consistently stated the detention was politically motivated and related to his advocacy for Sabah's rights under MA63 and the 20-point safeguards.⛓
3. December 1994Released from ISA detention in Kamunting after approximately 26 months.⛓
4. August 1994 – May 1995Served as Deputy Minister of Housing and Local Government at the federal level.⛓
5. 2006Joined Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), becoming vice-president representing the East Malaysian quota.⛓
6. January 2011Quit PKR.⛓
7. December 2010Founded the United Borneo Alliance (UBA) NGO, aimed at advancing Sabah and Sarawak rights under the 20-point agreement and Malaysia Agreement 1963.⛓
8. 2012Launched the Sabah chapter of the Sarawak-based State Reform Party (STAR).⛓
9. 2016Established Homeland Solidarity Party (STAR), a Sabah-based party, after splitting from the Sarawak-based STAR.⛓
10. May 2018Won the Keningau parliamentary seat in GE14 with a majority of 45 votes, and simultaneously won the Tambunan state seat. Appointed Deputy Chief Minister of Sabah for the first time.⛓
11. March – September 2020Served as Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture at the federal level, resigning in September 2020.⛓
12. October 2020Appointed Deputy Chief Minister II of Sabah under the GRS-led state government following the 2020 Sabah state election.⛓
13. November 2022Defended and retained the Keningau parliamentary seat in GE15 under the GRS banner.⛓
14. January 2023Promoted to Deputy Chief Minister I of Sabah, succeeding Bung Mokhtar Radin who was dropped following a political crisis.⛓
15. October 2025Jeffrey Kitingan withdrew STAR from GRS ahead of the Sabah state election; five of the party's incumbent assemblymen defected and declared support for GRS, leaving Kitingan as the only STAR representative outside GRS.⛓
16. November 2025Retained the Tambunan state seat in the 17th Sabah State Election with 12,595 votes and a majority of 7,311, becoming the oldest winner in that election. STAR moved to the state opposition. His tenure as Deputy Chief Minister I ended.⛓
17. December 2025Announced STAR would remain in opposition in the Sabah state assembly, maintaining its all-local-party stance and committing to support policies protecting Sabah and opposing moves that undermine MA63.⛓

Election history

• 2025Tambunan (State)Won⛓
• 2022Keningau (Parliament)Won⛓
• 2020Tambunan (State)Won⛓
• 2018Keningau (Parliament)Won⛓
• 2018Tambunan (State)Won⛓
• 2013Keningau (Parliament)Lost⛓
• 2008Keningau (Parliament)Lost⛓
• 2008Bingkor (State)Won⛓

Perspectives on key issues

• GovernmentPrime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has stated that the federal government increased Sabah's allocation to RM16 billion in 2024, describing it as more than the promised 40% revenue return, while acknowledging the formula has not yet been finalised. The government's position is that increased allocations demonstrate commitment to MA63 obligations.⛓
• OppositionJeffrey Kitingan, from the GRS/state opposition bench as of December 2025, argues that federal development allocations are categorically distinct from the constitutional 40% revenue entitlement, and that conflating the two misrepresents Sabah's rights. He contends Sabah and Sarawak together receive only about 13% of annual federal budget allocations.⛓
• VerifiedFactsUnder Budget 2025, Sabah and Sarawak were allocated RM6.7 billion and RM5.9 billion in development funds respectively, with interim special grants of RM600 million each — double the previous year's RM300 million. A permanent formula for the 40% revenue share has not been agreed upon as of end-2025.⛓
• ExpertAnalysts cited by Free Malaysia Today note that increased federal allocations to Sabah and Sarawak signal government commitment to MA63 obligations but that a permanent formula for the 40% revenue return remains unresolved, with a 'wide gap' between the two sides' positions.⛓

Notable legal history

According to The Star and Malay Mail, Jeffrey Kitingan was detained without trial under the Internal Security Act (ISA) from 13 May 1991, and held for approximately 26 months before being released in December 1994; he has consistently stated the detention was politically motivated and linked to his advocacy for Sabah's rights under the 20-point safeguards (Source: thestar.com.my, malaymail.com). According to Wikipedia's article on the 1991 Sabah political arrests, corruption charges relating to timber exports were filed against him during this period; according to the Wikipedia article on the Sabah Foundation, those charges were dropped when Kitingan left PBS (Source: en.wikipedia.org). The ISA was subsequently repealed in 2012. No other finalised legal proceedings have been identified from credible Malaysian news sources.