(Decorative Picture)
HARVEST FESTIVAL MESSAGE 2026
(A LAND OF GREAT WEALTH MUST NOT PRODUCE A GENERATION OF LIMITED AMBITION)
By Daniel John Jambun, Borneo’s Plight in Malaysia Foundation (BoPiMaFo)
KOTA KINABALU: As Sabahans gather to celebrate Kaamatan, Borneo’s Plight in Malaysia Foundation (BoPiMaFo) extends warm wishes of peace, unity, gratitude, and blessings to all communities celebrating this important cultural festival across Sabah.
Kaamatan is more than a harvest celebration.
Kaamatan is a reminder of identity, survival, sacrifice, land, and the deep relationship between the people and the soil of Sabah.
It is a celebration of resilience inherited from our ancestors who worked the land with discipline, perseverance, and dignity despite hardship and uncertainty.
But this year, Kaamatan must also become a moment of serious reflection.
Because despite all the blessings bestowed upon Sabah, too many Sabahans are still struggling merely to survive.
SABAH IS TOO RICH TO REMAIN THIS UNDERDEVELOPED
Sabah is not poor.
Sabah possesses:
– oil and gas,
– fertile agricultural land,
– forests,
– minerals,
– rivers,
– sunlight,
– biodiversity,
– tourism potential,
– strategic maritime position,
– and enormous renewable energy capacity.
Many countries around the world would dream of possessing even a fraction of what Sabah naturally has.
Yet paradoxically:
– basic infrastructure remains inconsistent,
– electricity disruptions continue,
– water supply problems persist,
– rural poverty remains high,
– development gaps widen,
– and many Sabahans continue leaving their homeland in search of opportunities elsewhere.
The painful question Sabahans must ask during this Kaamatan is simple:
How can a land so rich continue producing so many people still struggling economically?
SINGAPORE HAD NO NATURAL WEALTH — ONLY HUMAN DISCIPLINE
The irony becomes even more painful when compared with Singapore.
Singapore had:
– no oil,
– no major rivers,
– no timber wealth,
– no large mineral reserves,
– and no vast agricultural land.
What Singapore possessed was:
– discipline,
– governance,
– long-term planning,
– institutional efficiency,
– meritocracy,
– policy consistency,
– and investment in human capital.
Today Singapore stands among the richest and most advanced economies in the world.
Meanwhile, Sabah — blessed with extraordinary natural wealth — still struggles with problems that should have been solved decades ago.
This is not a failure of resources.
This is a failure of political priorities, governance culture, implementation discipline, and long-term strategic thinking.
SABAHANS MUST STOP NORMALISING UNDERDEVELOPMENT
For too long, Sabahans have been conditioned to celebrate announcements instead of outcomes.
Every year we hear:
– mega plans,
– transformation roadmaps,
– billion-ringgit allocations,
– strategic corridors,
– renewable ambitions,
– and “historic” promises.
Yet ordinary Sabahans continue facing:
– unstable infrastructure,
– rising living costs,
– weak economic mobility,
– youth migration,
– and dependence on federal-controlled structures.
Kaamatan should not merely become a cultural festival filled with music, beauty contests, ceremonies, and celebrations.
Kaamatan must also remind Sabahans that our ancestors fought hard to preserve this land, its dignity, and its future.
The younger generation must begin asking difficult questions:
– Why is Sabah still lagging despite its wealth?
– Why do resource-rich districts remain underdeveloped?
– Why are Sabah’s structural problems still unresolved after decades?
– Why does Sabah still struggle to convert natural wealth into widespread prosperity?
THE MOMOGUN YOUTH MUST RISE WITH A NEW MINDSET
Kaamatan must also become a message to the younger Momogun generation.
Our ancestors survived through resilience, sacrifice, discipline, and hard work.
They cultivated the land with determination despite limited resources and enormous hardship.
Today, however, the challenges facing Sabah are different.
Modern Sabah no longer needs only hard work.
Sabah now requires:
– hard work,
– smart work,
– knowledge,
– innovation,
– entrepreneurship,
– technological skills,
– financial literacy,
– strategic thinking,
– and the courage to compete globally.
The future will not belong to communities that merely possess natural resources.
The future will belong to communities that can:
– organise,
– innovate,
– manage,
– build institutions,
– master technology,
– and transform resources into sustainable wealth.
The younger Momogun generation must stop limiting themselves psychologically.
We must stop believing that Sabahans are destined only to become:
– consumers instead of creators,
– workers instead of owners,
– followers instead of leaders,
– or spectators while others control Sabah’s economic future.
Kaamatan should inspire the younger generation to become:
– engineers,
– entrepreneurs,
– scientists,
– policy makers,
– investors,
– professionals,
– and institution builders capable of transforming Sabah itself.
Because ultimately, the greatest resource of Sabah is not merely oil, gas, timber, or minerals.
The greatest resource of Sabah is its people.
And if Sabah truly wishes to rise, then the Momogun youth must become a generation that combines:
the work ethic of our ancestors,
the discipline of modern economies,
and the intelligence to compete in a rapidly changing world.
THE GREATEST THREAT TO SABAH IS NOT LACK OF RESOURCES — IT IS THE NORMALISATION OF LOW EXPECTATIONS
The danger today is not merely poverty.
The real danger is when Sabahans become psychologically accustomed to dysfunction.
When blackout becomes normal.
When poor roads become normal.
When delays become normal.
When dependency becomes normal.
When underdevelopment becomes politically acceptable.
That mindset is more dangerous than the absence of resources itself.
KAAMATAN MUST ALSO BE ABOUT THE FUTURE
As Sabah celebrates Kaamatan 2026, BoPiMaFo calls upon Sabahans — especially the younger generation — to think beyond slogans and political theatrics.
The future of Sabah cannot depend forever on:
– speeches,
– ceremonial announcements,
– temporary allocations,
– or emotional politics without structural reform.
Sabah requires:
– competent governance,
– strategic economic planning,
– institutional integrity,
– policy consistency,
– infrastructure modernisation,
– and courageous long-term leadership.
Only then can Sabah finally become what it always had the potential to be:
not merely a land rich in natural resources —
but a land rich in capable people, strong institutions, economic dignity, and genuine prosperity.
“Kotobian Tadau Tagazo Do Kaamatan.”
