Latest news with #Momoguns
Borneo Post
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Borneo Post
MNC vows to press for Momogun identity and socioeconomic progress
Wences PENAMPANG (July 12): The Momogun National Congress (MNC) is relentless in pushing for the full and undisputed official recognition of the term 'Momogun' as a collective name for the indigenous peoples of Sabah. In his address at the MNC Installation Night here last night, MNC President Tan Sri Wences Angang made the assurance that despite opposition of a small number of Momogun groups, MNC stands by the support and desire of 77 Sabah indigenous NGOs from all over Sabah for Momogun as their collective name. 'We continue to wait for the State Government to pass the MNC's resolution to adopt the Momogun Declaration which requires that 'Momogun' be placed in government forms. We have since a while ago submitted the declaration to the Chief Minister as well as the previous Tuan Yang Terutama Tun Juhar,' he said. 'We also await the actual implementation of the new non-politicised format of the Native Court, manned by permanent and pensionable staff,' he said. As the president who had won uncontested in the last MNC election, Wences said that unity of the Momoguns into a group would significantly raise their status in the demographic makeup of the state. 'If the Kadazans, Dusuns, Muruts, Bisayas, Tidongs and Orang Sungais (Paitanics) were to be counted as separate individual groups, their respective numbers would be small and insignificant. But if they are counted as a group they will exceed the strong one million mark in Sabah's population of three million,' he said. 'We are now facing a serious existential threat, and for this we will continue our dialogues with the Momogun signatories and other Momogun NGOs to seek ways to counter threats from globalization. 'In part, our approach is to seek worldwide recognition by aligning MNC with the International Indigenous Peoples' Movement. And for this purpose, MNC is proud to announce that we are now busy organizing for the third time the annual International Indigenous Peoples' Day to be held in Tenom next month,' he added. Wences, a former assemblyman and Deputy Chief Minister, who himself is a Momogun from the Tatana ethnic group, also said MNC is also looking into the possibility of organizing the World Rural Development Day, beginning next year in collaboration with the Momogun signatories and other Momogun NGOs. He stressed that MNC must take advantage of the international day which was declared by the United Nation's General Assembly last July 6 to reaffirm the UN's unwavering commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Quoting Manjira Mathai, the Managing Director For Global Partnership and AFRICA, World Economic Institute, Wences said, 'Rural communities are the quiet wheels that power our world: hubs of food production, guardians of the most critical ecosystem, and anchors of cultural heritage. Yet they remain some of the most underinvested and overlooked. As the world confronts the polycrises of climate change, poverty, and food insecurity, there is growing recognition that rural transformation is not optional. It is an essential part of building lasting resilience for any nation and it must begin with meaningful investment, not just acknowledgement.' He said that to enhance the Momogun youths' international exposure and economic participation, MNC is working to enhance the teaching of the English language being carried out by Institute for Indigenous Economic Progress (INDEP), under its 'Be an English Speaker Today' (BEST) program. 'English is the crucial language to enable Momoguns to gain high paying employment and to participate effectively in global affairs,' he pointed out. At the installation ceremony, official appointment certificates were given to 29 Supreme Council members.
Borneo Post
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Borneo Post
A dire warning to Momoguns and Jeffrey's struggle
On July 6, Datuk Henrynus Amin delivered his policy speech during the Parti Kerja Sama Anak Negeri's delegates general meeting to give a very sharp and biting warning to Momoguns, or the indigenous native population whom he felt were profoundly threatened by the possibility of becoming a minority in their own homeland. It's obvious Anak Negeri's main issue for the coming state general election (PRN17) is this serious existential threat which most parties, of late, haven't highlighted much in their speeches and statements. Anak Negeri prides itself as the lone combatant in facing this long-simmering peril. Henrynus was issuing a dire warning to the Momoguns about 'the alarming demographic shift in Sabah, highlighting the critical threat it poses to the state's security and sovereignty' (to quote saying in a statement that 'We cannot, and will not, stand idly by while the very fabric of our homeland is systematically unravelled as the presence of one million foreign nationals from neighbouring countries has drastically altered Sabah's political demography. 'This is a severe and undeniable threat. If left unaddressed, within the next decade, the foreign population — which now accounts for almost 30% of Sabah's total inhabitants — could tragically exceed 50%,' he added. 'Recent statistics paint a chilling picture: the foreign population was 800,000 in 2020. Within a short span of four years, by 2024, this number has exploded to more than one million — an increase of almost 250,000 people. This rapid escalation is not accidental; it's a calculated and deliberate movement that began in the 1970s.' In a recent policy speech, he mentioned that as many as 600,000 individuals may have become citizens through dubious means, such as the infamous Projek IC scheme, basing the claim on a comparative analysis of population growth rates between Sabah and Sarawak, whose combined population in 1960 was approximately one million (Sabah: 400,000; Sarawak: 600,000). By 2020, while Sarawak's population rose to 2.4 million, aligning with its historical proportion, Sabah's population surged to 2.6 million — an excess of 600,000 compared to the expected two million. 'This stark discrepancy demands an answer: where did these additional citizens come from?' he asked. 'The chilling cry, 'Sabah Kita Punya' ('Sabah is Ours'), openly voiced by some of these foreign nationals, is not a mere slogan; it's a veiled, yet evident, intention. It signifies a profound belief among them that Sabah rightfully belongs [or will soon belong]to them. 'The intent to seize land and power from the indigenous people of Sabah is not an assumption, but a stark reality — an undeniable political fact. Over the past 50 years, Sabah has been inundated, subtly transforming to resemble a neighbouring country, with several districts already hosting more foreign residents than local citizens.' Henrynus accuses local leaders of committing a 'betrayal of trust and leaving a legacy of inaction' saying, 'The indigenous native population feels profoundly threatened by the possibility of becoming a minority in their own homeland. This drastic political demographic change also indirectly imperils Sabah's sovereignty within the Malaysian Federation, particularly in the [face]of the Sulu Sultanate's historical claims to Sabah.' He heavily criticizes both PBS and STAR for their 'conspicuous silence and inaction' on the critical issue of illegal immigration and the shifting political demography of our state, saying 'PBS has relied on past achievements, such as writing memorandums, but has done absolutely nothing concrete to address the problem. Even the idea of a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on illegal immigrants and fake ICs was conceived and implemented by myself during my time as Secretary General of PBS. 'Yet, after the RCI's findings were released, PBS remained pathetically quiet, choosing to remain silent on the issue. This inaction directly led me to depart from the party,' he claimed. 'No [other]political party in Sabah genuinely speaks of the looming threat of the political demographic shift. While Parti Anak Negeri has consistently voiced concerns about 'Sabah IC,' PBS and STAR in recent years are conspicuously silent. PBS has had 40 years, and STAR 30 years, to act. Yet, they did nothing!' It is understandable that Anak Negeri has chosen to lambast STAR and PBS for inaction on the issue of illegals, seeing that the party is in an urgent need to garner support for itself because PRN17 is almost knocking on our doors. But it is not fair to accuse STAR of inaction on the issue of illegal immigrants as all know Dr Jeffrey's statements and actions on the matter would fill up a thick volume of documents. Dr Jeffrey has even braved himself into a brinkmanship by often crossing the line away from the conventional political observance in the government coalition – all for the sake of the Momogun future. Dr Jeffrey's opposition to illegal immigration has been a long-standing theme throughout his political career. He has frequently raised concerns about the potential for illegal immigrants to influence elections and undermine the rights of Sabah's indigenous population. He argued that the influx of undocumented migrants has led to social and economic strains on the state's resources and infrastructure. His concerns extend to the potential for illegal immigrants to obtain Malaysian citizenship through fraudulent means, further altering the demographic balance of Sabah. His public statements and political activities on the issue consistently reflect his concern for the demographic demotion of the Momoguns. He has often used strong language to criticize government policies perceived as lenient towards illegal immigration and has called for stricter enforcement of immigration laws in Sabah. His involvement in various cross-national activism, e.g. as the President and co-founder of the Borneo Dayak Forum, his political collaborations and his positions within Sabah's government have provided platforms to advocate for his views on this issue. His undying fight for the autonomy of Sabah, at one time leading to his arrest and imprisonment, have permanently positioned him in the annals of Sabah's history, and continues as a key figure in the ongoing debate surrounding immigration policy and its effects on Sabah's identity and future. ·
