Let the person decide: Sipaun

LocalPolitics
3 May 2024 • 10:20 AM MYT
Daily Express
Daily Express

Daily Express Online (Malaysia) is Sabah's top-ranked & most viewed English news site. It is also Sabah's leading & most circulated daily English newspaper.

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By: Sabah Publishing House Sdn Bhd

Kota Kinabalu: Former State Secretary Tan Sri Simon Sipaun said good sense should prevail and nobody, be it an individual or group, should try to dictate what a particular race should call themselves.

“If the idea is to avoid being categorised under ‘Lain-lain (Others)’ in government forms then whoever is filling the form should just write down in the space under ‘Lain-lain’ his or her particular race,” he told Daily Express Thursday.

The former Suhakam Vice President was referring to the proposal by Upko President Datuk Ewon Benedick to insert the word “Momogun” in government forms that require a person to state his race to represent the indigenous people, particularly Kadazan, Dusun, Murut dan Rungus (KDMR) in Sabah.

Ewon’s proposal received mixed reactions from various community leaders.