Joanna Marcel
KOTA KINABALU: The State Unduk Ngadau Borderless Kaamatan committee has demanded lawyer Marcel Jude to withdraw his statement about the pageant.
“We hereby demand that he withdraw his uncalled for statements immediately and apologize to all Unduk Ngadaus, the Unduk Ngadau Organizing Committee 2021, the State Kaamatan MOC 2021 and the Kadazandusun (KDMR) people of Sabah as a whole, before we take our next action,” said Joanna Datuk Kitingan, chairperson of KDCA Women’s Council Sabah State Unduk Ngadau Borderless Kaamatan 2021.
Joanna in a statement on Sunday added that KDCA Women’s Council has an All Women Legal Committee, who are studying the case, and will in due course advise them accordingly.
She stressed that the Kaamatan Festival is sacred to us based on our unique heritage belief system and worldviews. Unduk Ngadau to us embodies the spirit of Huminodun, the sacrificed daughter of Kinoingan and Sumundu.
For 61 years, the Unduk Ngadau pageant has helped to preserve our cultural heritage, identity, our mother tongue, our traditional costumes and most of all our women’s dignity.
“It has helped our young women in giving them confidence and move on to greater heights in their careers and service for our community.
“What Marcel Jude said about the Unduk Ngadau in his submission statement dated 10 June 2021, saying that Unduk Ngadau is nothing more than an exotic cattle show and even liken it to an auctioned show is totally demeaning, derogatory, defaming and insensitive towards our Kadazandusun (KDMR) culture,” she stressed.
The Unduk Ngadau Kaamatan (UNK) has never emphasized on body proportions like he mentioned, said Joanna.
She opined that Marcel is just diverting from the real issue at hand and trying to find fault with the Unduk Ngadau and the organizing committee and the Kadazandusun (KDMR) community as a whole.
While Marcel’s client is entitled to a fair trial, the UNK rejects all forms of sexual harassment, exploitation and violence against women and that such behaviour has no place in Kadazandusun (KDMR) culture, she added.
Marcel is defending politician Phillip Among who is facing five charges of molesting two women, including a state-level Unduk Ngadau contestant. He has claimed trial to all the charges.
Cultural activist Shireen Sikayun has also criticised portions of the court submission.
“In our multiracial community, one ought to be sensitive to the feelings of other communities.
“For a person who was born and brought up in Sabah, the statements made were outrageous, demeaning, and wholly insensitive to the feelings of the orang asal,” she said in on Facebook.
Shireen, who is president of the Pusat Sumber Adat dan Mediasi Kaum Anak Negeri Sabah (Pusaka) and a lawyer as well, said the document was first shared among local lawyers in the state.
Marcel was reported to have said that he would give a statement in due course and said not to misquote him.