Momogun encompasses all ethnicities, sub-ethnicities – Masidi

PENAMPANG (Aug 1): Finance Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun opines that the proposed generic term “Momogun” encompasses all ethnicities and sub-ethnicities within the Kadazan, Dusun, Murut and Rungus (KDMR) community.

“If we are Dusun, we say we are Momogun (Dusun), and if we are Kadazan, we use Momogun (Kadazan). We do not lose our ethnic or sub-ethnic identity. We are simply designating a specific generic name, just as ‘Dayak’ is used in Sarawak to encompass various tribes. So, my understanding is that Momogun encompasses all ethnicities and sub-ethnicities referred to as Momogun. No one is left behind,” he said.

Speaking at the launch of the 2024 Premier Momogun Convention held at the Penampang Cultural Centre on Thursday, Masidi also mentioned the presence of 84 out of 92 KDMR organisations who have expressed their wishes concerning the generic term “Momogun”, and that these should be respected by the rest of the community.

“I do not represent all ethnic groups in Sabah, but at least today’s participation reflects the aspirations of most of our people. It is not just that we want Momogun, but more importantly, we are asking our leaders to unite so that a decisive decision can be made promptly,” he said.

Masidi reminded that the Momogun people are left behind in many things.

“Somtimes, we are left behind due to other matters and are irrelevant to this congress. In all honesty I say that sometimes we suffer losses due to our own behaviors,” he said.

He added that instead of supporting leaders of the same group to succeed, the opposite occurs.

“And perhaps if there is consensus among us in this group to be named as such, this attitude can be used because we can interpret and state that if we are in the same idea or group, we should not bring each other down,” he said.

He reminded that the Chinese community unites to a common interest despite belonging to different political parties.

“There are no longer parties A, B, C, D, or E when it comes to their ethnic interests,” he said.

He urged that this should be the focus and goal of the Momogun which was to unite all ethnic groups under one large umbrella.

“Our voice will be stronger, more respected by others, and perhaps then, I am confident that opportunities for our community will open up wider because we will no longer be perceived as a fragmented group with internal divisions,” he said.

Masidi also urged the Momogun people to improve their capacity and grab opportunities that are available in the oil and gas industry in Sabah.

He added that only about 11 percent of Sabah companies were successful in bidding for oil and gas projects with Petronas in Sabah last year.

“Why? Because 70 percent of our oil and gas companies registered with Petronas are not active. And secondly, there are not many announcement and awareness to ensure our people were aware of these opportunities, and thirdly, our capacity to develop this work is limited. We don’t have many large companies that can bid for bigger works. With that problem, we have discussed with Petronas to introduce the mentor programme so that if a company from Sabah wants to bid for larger projects and are not capable to bid, we say that companies from outside Sabah can bid for the project with the condition that they take a local company as their partner so that the local company can improve their capacity in the future,” he said.

Masidi said that the State is targetting at least 30 percent of oil and gas jobs from Petronas will be given to Sabah companies this year.

“The Momogun people must be aware of this opportunities and grab them,” he said.

He went on to remind the Momogun people that if they have economic strength, this can be translated as having political strength.

“In America, their economy is controlled by the Jews. Don’t forget that there aren’t a single American candidate who could win without the assistance from the Jewish people who are active in economy,” he said.

“Komoyon kuat ekonomi tokou, orang akan ketuk pintu kita. (This means when our economy is strong, people will knock on our door). Tapi kalau ekonomi kita tidak kuat, dotokou mongoi kotuk pintuk tulun suvai do mokitulung. (But if our economy is weak, we will knock on people’s doors to ask for help). Kita menjadi penggangur, kita menjadi peminta sedekah (We become the unemployed, we become the beggars),” Masidi added.

“This is what we should be figthing for. We don’t have any problems. The Dusun people, Kadazan, Murut, the Momogun people, we all have brains just like the Chinese, two arms, two feet, two ears … there is no reason why we cannot compete,” he said.

Masidi went on to describe the struggle of past leaders for the people to unite.

“When we unite, we can demand. We can ask and those on top will listen to us because our voice has become louder than before this.

“That is why I support so that we can have a consensus on the generic name that we should be called. There are many (type) Jewish people, but when they speak, everyone listens because they control the financial sector,” he said.

“How wonderful it would be if, when we talk about Momogun, we also say that this is a successful ethnic group because we are united. This is actually a larger agenda as to why we need to unite. Let’s move forward, and when we do, let’s forget about small differences … We are shackled by trivial problems, prioritising unimportant matters, while what’s important is sidelined. I hope this convention raises awareness. It’s not just about reaching a consensus, but also about having a loud and clear voice urging all ethnic groups involved to unite and advance our race together. That’s the voice we should be proclaiming. We all agree that we stand as one large community to advance our race,” he said.

Masidi also said that August 1 was the starting point for the unity of our ethnic groups.

“This is the day of unity, to achieve a broader agenda for the future of our race,” he said.