United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation
Vorlage:Politics of Malaysia The United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (UPKO) is a political party based in Sabah, east Malaysia. It is an ethnically-based party striving to voice the rights and advance the development of Kadazan-Dusun and Murut population of Sabah.
History
The party started as "Parti Demokrat Sabah" (PDS), which was founded by Bernard Giluk Dompok and other leaders who branched out from Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) soon after the State Election in 1994. Later it was renamed UPKO.
This new UPKO has no relation with the original United Pasok Momogun Kadazan Organization (also known by the acronym UPKO), which was formed in May 1964, by a combination of the Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Kadazan Bersatu (United Kadazan National Organisation – UNKO, originally founded by the first Chief Minister of Sabah, Dato Donald Stephans in August 1961), and the Pertubuhan Pasok Momogun Bersatu (United Pasok Momogun Organisation, formed in January 1962 by Orang Kaya Kaya Datuk G. S. Sundang).
Status and platform
UPKO is one of the component parties in the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition. The name of the new UPKO includes the words "Kadazandusun" and "Murut", and the logo is no longer a water buffalo but a silhouette of Mount Kinabalu. It is also believed by many political observers that the "Kadazandusun nationalism" which was apparent in the old UPKO is not really presence in the new UPKO, but more still in PBS.