KOTA KINABALU: Going overboard in alcohol or food consumption during celebrations and festivals was never part of the culture here, says Sabah Native Affairs Council president Dr Benedict Topin.
He said as unique as Sabah’s culture and "adat" or customs are, there was never a time when taking too much alcohol up to the point of getting drunk and causing trouble or even speaking the wrong things was allowed.
"In Sabah, yes, consuming alcohol has been part of culture. It is a traditional bond that promotes socialising, harmonising and celebrations," he said.
Topin said this after getting queries about the Sabahan drinking "culture" and why even young teenagers were allowed to consume alcohol in many parts of the state.
"But the most important point to take note of is to never go overboard. Sometimes, even children are allowed to take small sips or a dab of tapai (fermented rice or starchy food before they turn into rice wine)," he said.
He said it is supposed to end there, and the adat was never meant to result in intoxication and any wrongdoings would result in the offender issued the sogit (penalised according to local customs).
Topin said today, however, there had been many misinterpretations of what the real Sabah cultures meant when it comes to drinking alcoholic beverages.
He said people need to really understand their own culture and act according to what it really meant and how things should really be instead of putting their own understandings of the matter themselves.
He said parents and the elderly needed to play bigger roles in their children’s lives and connect with them more instead of allowing them to be immersed in technology and learning about what could be wrong from their gadgets and the internet.
In many social media platforms, when someone questions the drinking habit especially during festivals and even in funerals for some districts, many would give a simple "culture" as an answer, as if it explained and rationalised everything.
Many adults in fact allowed their children or nephews and nieces to drink alcohol during celebrations, even if the child was just 13 or 14 years old.
Topin said on his part as the current Sabah Native Affairs Council president, he worked with non-governmental organisations such as the Sabah Customary Practitioners' Association (Sunduan Nabalu) and the Bobolians association to hold classes on customs for the public.
He was also in the midst of writing more books on the customary rites and other traditions in Sabah.
"I also hope to see a special syllabus on Sabah’s customs and other cultures taught in Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS)," he said.
Topin said the people today had gone astray from the true customs of their own ethnic groups, villages and districts.
"We have gone astray from our way of the 'adat' life. It is supposed to be something beautiful and we have the responsibility to ensure that we get back on track," he said.
