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Who’s a native in Sabah? State ministry defers an answer

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Kadazan-Dusun, Murut and other groups are not specifically named in the Interpretation Ordinance but an assistant minister says the matter is important but not of immediate priority.

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Free Malaysia Today
Jannie Lasimbang is Sabah’s assistant minister for law and native affairs. (Bernama pic)

KOTA KINABALU:
Who is a native Sabahan under the law? For members of some ethnic groups, particularly the Kadazan-Dusun and Murut, an answer to that important question will take more time.

Jannie Lasimbang, state assistant minister for law and native affairs, said a proposed amendment to the Sabah Interpretation (Definition of Native) Ordinance 1958, which would settle the question, may have to wait yet again.

Jannie confirmed to FMT that the ordinance was among a few important issues on the ministry’s agenda but was not considered urgent enough to be looked at immediately.

The ordinance explicitly mentioned five ethnic groups as natives: the Suluk, Kagayan, Simonol, Sibutu and Ubian, all of whom are to be found mainly on east coast areas.

Other natives in Sabah, particularly the Kadazan-Dusun and Murut people, have demanded that their ethnic group also be explicitly listed in the definition of the term native.

Many benefits accrue to those listed as a native, not least in land ownership and the right to claim certain lands under native customary rights.

A non-native Sabahan can only own country lease lands while a native can apply for native title lands, usually meant for agriculture.

At present the Kadazan-Dusun, Murut, Bajau, Bisaya, Rungus, Lotud and many other groups are lumped into two sub-clauses of the Interpretation Ordinance but the names of their particular ethnic group is not mentioned.

The Kadazan-Dusun number about 600,000 or about one-third of Sabah’s population, while the Murut population is about 100,000.

In 2013, when a royal commission of inquiry was held into the politically sensitive question of illegal immigrants in Sabah, a Suluk community leader, Datu Akjan Datu Ali Muhammad, had claimed that the listing of the Suluk in the ordinance was proof that the Suluk are first class natives in Sabah.

Jannie told FMT that efforts in the past to list the various native ethnic groups were shelved “because it was too hot and controversial at the time”.

Other ethnic groups, whose origins do not lie in Sabah had also demanded that they be included as natives in the ordinance.

Any amendment to the ordinance can only be approved by a two-third majority in the assembly.

“We cannot do anything about it at the moment. We may look at it in the future but right now, the ministry’s focus is more on the native court,” Jannie said. “Furthermore, the ministry is still new and bare and there are a lot of things on our plate as it is. But the issue is important and will receive its due attention,” Jannie promised.

https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/08/19/no-such-thing-as-first-class-natives/

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