Masidi, Ranau folk bond over ‘moginggat’
RANAU: Former Karanaan assemblyman Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun delighted the Dusun community here when he joined them in a “moginggat” session while campaigning recently.
A tradition practised mainly by elderly Dusunic women, moginggat involves the chewing of tobacco, areca leaves and betel nuts.
Since it is rare for men to engage in moginggat, Masidi’s act at the Kampung Podugong polling centre made for quite a spectacle.
“Iti nopoh sigup nga ie minamasi di tokou (this tobacco has helped us make a living),” he said in the Dusun dialect, referring to the importance of tobacco plantations to the highland community, which trades heavily in tobacco.
Masidi, a Dusun and Sabah Tourism, Cultural and Environment minister, said members of the Ranau Dusun community often travelled for days to reach a tamu (market) in Kota Belud, where they would sell or trade tobacco for other products.
Empathising with his constituents, Masidi said Barisan Nasional was focusing on “white” or strong-support areas to campaign for the 14th General Election (GE14).
Masidi, who is also Ranau Umno chief, said the Dusun community must be united to strengthen BN’s position to bring continuous development to the state.
Masidi will face three contenders from Parti Kerjasama Anak Negeri, Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah and PKR in GE14.
In GE13, he won with a majority vote of 3,500.