Kundasang customary book to preserve cultural heritage
RANAU (July 12): Deputy Chief Minister II and Kundasang Assemblyman Datuk Seri Dr Joachim Gunsalam officiated the launch of the Buku Adat Mukim Kundasang/Pinausok at a ceremony attended by 150 traditional customary practitioners at Puncak Café on Thursday.
In his speech, Dr Joachim congratulated the customary chiefs who successfully compiled the traditional customs and practices of the Kundasang community into a book, calling it an important reference for current and future generations.
'In the Kundasang constituency, most sub-districts (mukim) now have their own customary books. This is a significant achievement in our efforts to preserve and document our cultural heritage,' he said.
He also expressed appreciation to the village chiefs who were directly involved in documenting the customs practised in their respective villages.
According to him, the customary book serves not only as a reference but also as a guide for all villages in dealing with customary matters, including the giving of sogit (customary compensation) and mediation processes, helping to prevent future confusion.
On the Native Court, Dr Joachim shared that there is a proposal to abolish the Native Court Enactment 1992 and replace it with a new enactment. However, he said, tabling the new law in the State Legislative Assembly may not happen this year as several aspects still require scrutiny by the Ministry of Local Government and Housing.
Dr Joachim also stated that all positions related to customary affairs — from district chiefs to village chiefs — will be retained if the current State Government continues to receive the people's mandate in the coming state election. However, he noted that a change in government could result in a restructuring or termination of these positions.
'For me, we respect the decision of the people. I just want to emphasise that the Sabah Maju Jaya Direction is the best so far,' he said.
Also present at the event were district chiefs OKK Dominic Ghanie and OKK Muhasip Haji Roman, native chiefs, representatives of native chiefs for the Paginatan and Karanaan constituencies, village chiefs and members of the Stall Operators Association, members of the Kundasang Highland Vegetable Growers Association.
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