By Bob Munang JP
KOTA KINABALU: The proposed adoption of the term “Momogun” is not an attempt to create a new race.
Rather, it is a practical step to prevent outsiders and the media from continuing to use the abbreviation “KDMR” as a collective label for our people.
We know that in the 1960s, UNKO (later UPKO), under the leadership of the first Huguan Siou, Donald Stephens (later Mohd Fuad Stephens), sought to unify more than 40 distinct ethnic groups within the Dusunic, Murutic, and Paitanic families under the name “Kadazan.”
This was a noble effort. Had it succeeded without interruption, today we might stand proudly as a united community known as Kadazan, recognized alongside the Malay, Chinese, Indian, and Dayak.
Sadly, this noble effort was not fully realized. We saw in 1989, leaders of KCA and USDA decided to merge the terms Kadazan and Dusun into Kadazandusun when the Federal Government agreed to the teaching of Kadazan-Dusun in schools.
Yet this compromise did not satisfy everyone, and the abbreviation “KDM” soon emerged as a collective reference.
Outsiders, particularly the media, then extended this into “KDMR,” which has increasingly been used to describe our people.
This is troubling. If left unchallenged, the abbreviation “KDMR” used to collectively refer to our people risks becoming entrenched and eventually formalised by the government in official reports.
By contrast, the Iban community in Sarawak successfully adopted the term “Dayak” as a collective identity for their various ethnic groups.
Inspired by this, a group of KCA veterans from Penampang have proposed the adoption of “Momogun” as a dignified collective term for the 40+ ethnic groups within the Dusunic, Murutic, and Paitanic families—an authentic alternative to the impersonal abbreviation “KDMR.”
By adopting “Momogun,” we are not erasing identities or inventing a new race. What is being proposed is a unifying name rooted in heritage and dignity, ensuring that future generations inherit an identity defined by pride, not convenience.
The term “Momogun” is a familiar term used our people. We should use this term rather than use an abbreviation “KDMR”.
