Peter Joinud Mojuntin

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Datuk Peter Joinod Mojuntin,

.

Life

Datuk Peter Joinod Mojuntin was born on 11 October 1939 as the third child of rice farmers, Paul Mojuntin Matanul (1907-1971), an ethnic

under the latter's mentorship, he then later worked as the Managing Director of Nabahu Corp. Sdn. Bhd., a local co-operative company.

On 8 May 1963, he married Datin Nancy Mary Mobijohn (26 May 1945-13 October 2023), who was the daughter of a local politician and a former teacher-cum-colleague of his named Datuk Seri Panglima Lidwin Anthony Mobijohn (1921-2002) and wife, Datin Seri Panglima Nora Joguim Sipanil (1923-2008), also hailing from the same village and the couple had five children, three boys and two girls, including Donald Peter Mojuntin (born 1965) and Deidre Peter Mojuntin (born 1972) who was the winner of the Unduk Ngadau pageant on 1989.

In addition, he served as the Chairman of the Penampang District Council for two non-consecutive terms, from 1965 to 1971 and again from 1973 to 1975. Throughout his life, Mojuntin was active in various organisations of the Kadazan. First, he was the president of the youth organisation known as the United Sabah Kadazan Youth Association and then from 1965 to 1973, he was President of the Kadazan Cultural Association (KCA) and in 1975, he became their patron.^[1]

Political career

Mojuntin's political career began in 1962 as General Secretary of the

in April 1976, he became the Minister of Housing and Local Government of the state of Sabah. Forty-four days later, he died in a plane crash.

Death

On 6 June 1976, Peter Mojuntin together with Tun Fuad Stephens and several cabinet members aboard a flight from Labuan to Kota Kinabalu were killed in the

. Immediately after the disaster, there were conspiracy theories about the cause of the crash because of how loud the crash was.

The location of the crash is commemorated with the Double Six Monument, a memorial marked with a stone obelisk that was erected shortly after the accident. The monument is located in Sembulan township, near the Grace Garden housing area in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah along the Jalan Coastal highway leading to Sutera Harbour Resort and the Kota Kinabalu International Airport. His body was buried in the churchyard of St Michael's Church, Donggongon, Penampang.

Legacy

Mojuntin belonged to the political opponents of

.

The unwanted expulsion of missionaries and church personnel, which made way for the course of

in Sabah was strongly criticised by him, for he was a loyal devout Catholic.

Against the raids, arrests, harassment and deportation of the foreign missionaries as well as alleged

.

Dubbed as the Golden Son of the Kadazan, Mojuntin's position is documented in the published biography of Bernard Sta Maria and for the alleged defamation of the then-Chief Minister of Sabah, Tun Mustapha, the book was banned by the Malaysian Home Ministry in June 1978.

His life is commemorated with a statue erected in the middle of Donggongon, Penampang.

Additionally, SMK Datuk Peter Mojuntin, a secondary school located in Dongongon, Penampang district was named after him, in honour of his legacy and contributions to the people of the Penampang district.

References