Cultural group backs call to use 'Momogun' instead of 'others' to refer to Sabah natives

KOTA KINABALU: “Momogun” is the best way to classify the native Dusunic, Murutic and Paitanic ethnic groups of Sabah in official government documents instead of “lain-lain” (others), says the Rungus Cultural Association (RCA).

The native group’s president Journah Mozihim said it fully supported using the broader classification of Momogun to reflect the Sabah indigenous communities’ contributions to the state.

She was echoing Upko president Datuk Ewon Benedick’s call in the state assembly last week for Sabah natives to be broadly classified as “Momogun” in government forms.

In most official documents, ethnic groupings are usually listed as Malay, Chinese and Indian with the remaining ethnicities under "lain-lain".

The call to replace it in official documents has been made since 2016 by various groups including the Momogun National Congress (MNC).

"It is clear that the indigenous people of Sabah have contributed greatly to the political landscape and development in the state,” Journah said in a statement on Monday (April 29).

"However, relegating Sabah's indigenous people to 'lain-lain' is an unjustifiable injustice, given our considerable contributions."

Journah said if government forms need to accommodate other ethnic groups, "lain-lain" could be retained for those while "Momogun" is added for the Dusunic, Murutic and Paitanic peoples.

She said RCA is among the 21 signatories of the Momogun Declaration 2016.

"Together with other native organisations, we sincerely hope that the indigenous people of Sabah will be given the privilege of having their proper national identity as 'Momogun' instead of just being classified as 'lain-lain'," Journah said.

Ewon made a fresh call last week for the government to broadly classify the ethnic Kadazandusun, Murut and Rungus among other sub-ethnic groups as Momogun.

Journah said the term has been familiar to Sabah natives for generations.

She added that historically, it has been used in the names of political parties to be representative of the state's native Kadazandusun, Murut and Rungus communities since the formation of Malaysia.

She said its use was also reflected in lyrics and songs by popular local artistes like Jimmy Ginggor and Rose Moguloi.

"All this shows the term has been widely used among Sabah natives," she added.

Journah said it was about time that Sabah's indigenous people had a proper group identity after being categorised as "others" for the past 60 years since the formation of Malaysia.