By Daniel John Jambun, Borneo’s Plight in Malaysia Foundation (BoPiMaFo)
KOTA KINABALU: Borneo’s Plight in Malaysia Foundation (BoPiMaFo) takes note of the announcement by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on the additional RM50 million allocation for MITRA, bringing its total allocation to RM150 million for 2026.
We state clearly:
If Putrajaya can create and continuously strengthen a dedicated federal transformation mechanism for one community in Peninsular Malaysia, then Sabahans are entitled to ask a legitimate constitutional and policy question:
Why does no equivalent mechanism exist for the indigenous peoples of Sabah?
1. SABAH’S INDIGENOUS PEOPLES ARE CONSTITUTIONALLY RECOGNISED — NOT POLITICALLY INCIDENTAL
The indigenous peoples of Sabah are expressly recognised under Article 161A of the Federal Constitution.
They are not temporary political constituencies. They are part of the constitutional foundation upon which Malaysia was formed in 1963.
Yet despite this constitutional status, there remains no permanent federally supported institutional mechanism dedicated specifically to the long-term socio-economic advancement of Sabah’s native communities.
This imbalance is increasingly difficult to justify.
2. MNC CAN BECOME A NATIONAL-LEVEL INDIGENOUS TRANSFORMATION PLATFORM
BoPiMaFo believes that the Momogun National Congress (MNC), as an umbrella body representing indigenous peoples in Sabah, can play a role similar in principle to MITRA — or evolve into an even broader indigenous transformation platform suited to Sabah’s constitutional realities.
This could include roles in:
indigenous economic empowerment
education and scholarship coordination
entrepreneurship development
professional advancement
youth leadership programmes
preservation of native identity and heritage
research on indigenous socio-economic conditions
policy engagement on rural and constitutional issues
Sabah does not lack indigenous institutions.
What Sabah lacks is serious federal political commitment to empower them structurally and sustainably.
3. SABAH’S INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES CONTINUE TO FACE STRUCTURAL DISADVANTAGES
Many native communities across Sabah continue facing:
rural poverty
weak infrastructure
unequal educational opportunities
land insecurity
economic marginalisation
limited representation within national decision-making structures
This is happening despite Sabah contributing enormous national wealth through petroleum, natural resources, agriculture, and strategic territory.
The contradiction is glaring:
Sabah helps sustain the Federation, yet many indigenous communities remain economically insecure within their own homeland.
4. PUTRAJAYA CANNOT APPLY “TARGETED ASSISTANCE” SELECTIVELY
MITRA exists because the Federal Government recognised that broad ministry allocations alone were insufficient to uplift a specific community.
If that principle is accepted nationally, then Sabah’s indigenous peoples deserve the same seriousness.
This is not about opposing assistance to other communities.
This is about consistency, equality, and constitutional fairness.
Sabah cannot continue receiving symbolic recognition while other communities receive dedicated institutional frameworks backed by sustained federal funding.
5. SABAH NEEDS A REAL INDIGENOUS EMPOWERMENT FRAMEWORK — NOT OCCASIONAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
BoPiMaFo calls for serious federal engagement toward establishing:
a Sabah Indigenous Transformation Mechanism
direct federal support for indigenous umbrella institutions such as MNC
long-term indigenous professional and entrepreneurship funds
rural native scholarship programmes
institutional strengthening for native policy research and development
If Malaysia is sincere about inclusivity and shared prosperity, then Sabah’s indigenous peoples must stop being treated as peripheral communities and start being recognised as foundational partners in the Federation.
Enough ceremonial rhetoric.
Sabah’s indigenous peoples deserve institutional respect, structural investment, and long-term empowerment.
