KOTA KINABALU: A petition to change the "lain-lain" (others) category to the collective term "Momogun" for Sabah natives in official forms and letters will be sent to both the state and federal governments for consideration.
Momogun National Congress (MNC) president Tan Sri Wences Angang said the petition will be sent sometime in August after signatures are gathered during the scheduled Momogun Convention on Aug 1.
He said that the convention will include workshops to discuss issues concerning Momogun and the natives of Sabah, and to gather signatures from delegates to support changing the term "others" to Momogun.
"It is a shame that the natives of Sabah are still categorised as 'others' while the Indians, Malays, and Chinese have proper terms to identify themselves," Angang said.
He explained that a single term for the three main native groups of Sabah — Muruts, Kadazandusuns, and Rungus (Murutic, Dusunic, and Paitanic) — which break down into about 36 ethnic and over 200 sub-ethnic groups, would help unite these communities and give them a sense of belonging and identity in this multicultural nation.
"We understand that listing every ethnicity in official forms would be too complicated, which is why we propose using the term Momogun," he added.
The MNC is not the first to advocate for this change. Similar calls have come from the Rungus Cultural Association (RCA) and Penampang MP Datuk Ewon Benedick.
In 2016, some groups rejected this proposal, insisting that their respective ethnic names be retained to preserve their identities for future generations. Those who objected included the United Sabah Dusun Association (Usda), Persatuan Kimaragang Sabah Bersatu, Persatuan Tobilung Bersatu Sabah, Persatuan Sino Kadazan Durun Murut Sabah, Pertubuhan Tindal Bersatu Sabah, Persatuan Bangsa Tombinuo Sabah, Persatuan Kaum Sukang Sabah, Persatuan Dusun Subpan Segama Lahad Datu, and Persatuan Suang Lotud Sabah.
Angang asserted that adopting a collective term like Momogun would not dilute the identities of various ethnic groups but rather strengthen them.
In response to Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan's suggestion to adopt the term Dayak for all Sabahan natives, Angang felt it was unsuitable.
He noted that Dayak is also used in Sarawak and Kalimantan, and Sabah should have its own term, Momogun.
