KOTA KINABALU: The launch of Borneo.TV on July 1, 2025, officiated by Chief MinisterDatuk Seri Hajiji Noor at Menara Kinabalu, has deeply disappointed Borneo’s indigenous/communities and cultural workers, including the Sabah Film and Visual Association (SAFVA).
“For years, the state has neglected the cultural rights of indigenous artists, singers, andsongwriters, leaving their creative economies and heritage unsupported.
This secretiveagreement between the SMJ Secretariat and Kuala Lumpur-based IB Media Consultant Sdn.Bhd is seen as another betrayal of Sabah and Borneo’s cultural intellectual property and creativeintegrity.
“They didn’t care then, and they don’t care now,” said Atama Katama, Sabah’srenowned Sumazau Hip-Hop artist and the world’s first KadazanDusun-English rapper.The issue surfaced when the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) Secretariat and IB Media Consultant Sdn.Bhd. signed a deal and hurriedly launched Sabah’s television channel, Borneo.TV.
This moveviolates UNESCO’s 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity ofCultural Expressions, which mandates safeguarding cultural diversity, and it disregards theFree, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) under Article 32 of the UNDRIP (2007).
“I fully endorse SAFVA’s opposition to the lack of consultation, and we, as Borneans, especiallycultural workers, must resist this erosion of our identity to end all forms of cultural exploitation.I know SAFVA is correct to oppose this,” said Atama Katama, the 2011 Choons Malaysia BestMC.Atama Katama, now a senior Indigenous Peoples Rights Representative at the United Nations,claims that the use of “Borneo” in a platform owned by Dato’ Hajji Izlan Basar, CEO of Al Hijrah,raises serious concerns about cultural appropriation.
Another Sabah-born national artist, Yee I-Lan, warned on her Facebook today:
“Borneo.TV,owned by a non-Bornean Malayan religious content figure with limited media experience,smacks of neo-colonialism.
Adat and budaya under MA63 are state matters.”The absence of indigenous consultation further breaches UNESCO’s inclusive representationprinciples.
Similarly, the Borneo Native Festival (BNF), held annually 2,000 miles from Borneo,misrepresents the island’s culture.
Sarawak’s Peter John Jaban, founder of GOASS cultural creative, said, “Millions of ringgit inMOTAC (Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture) funds support the Borneo Native Festival inKuala Lumpur, implying East Malaysians lack the capacity to organize it locally.”
He citedSUKASENI, a KL-based organizer that gained ‘popularity’ after showcasing Borneo’s authentictraditional garments.
The Edge of the World actor continued, “We came to boost BNF with our Borneo spirit, withGOASS boarding AirAsia flights in our ‘sirat’ traditional garments.
These self-funded travels toKuala Lumpur received minimal support—just a bus ride from airport to hotel. This reflectstokenism that undermines local expertise and romanticizes Borneo’s nativity in KL.”
Insubsequent years, BNF held a pop-up event in Sabah but failed to acknowledge GOASS, Jabannoted. “They didn’t even contact us when they came to our own land. Instead, they hadforeigners dressed as us to represent us. With experiences like this, how can we trust those whofail to appreciate us?
”The CEO’s dual role as owner of Borneo.TV and Al Hijrah raises concerns about themarginalization of non-Muslim narratives across Borneo.The SMJ Secretariat’s public claim that Borneo.TV operates without state funding heightenssuspicions of double standards and lack of oversight, as it pre-relinquishes responsibility forprotecting Sabah’s cultural assets and forms, which will be controlled and peddled by Borneo.TVand its clientele.
“This thoughtlessness reflects incompetent state advisors and rent-seekingexecutives, making the Sabah Chief Minister, a former radio announcer, look utterlycompromised,” Atama stated.Our cultural heritage—arts, traditions, and indigenous identities—is sacred and must not beexploited, particularly for religious purposes.
