Pageant postponement should serve as lesson to govt – PBS

KOTA KINABALU: The community's objection to the now-postponed Unduk Ngadau Kaamatan beauty pageant should serve as a lesson to the current State Government, said former deputy State Assembly speaker Datuk Johnny Mositun believed any decision other than postponement or cancellation of the event would have never been accepted by the people.

"Chairman of the state Kaamatan main organising committee Datuk Peter Anthony should know by now that it was better to listen to the people than to himself," he said.

Mositun, who is a life member of KDCA, was commenting on reports that Peter had announced the postponement of the Unduk Ngadau and Sugandoi contests to a later date.

Mositun said Peter should really listen to the voices of the people instead of reacting negatively to it.

"Instead of resorting to name-calling, Peter should be thanking those who gave their opinions on the issue," he said.

Mositun added that if what was written in a blog where Peter referred to him like a "baboon being hit by belacan (shrimp paste)" was true, he dreaded to think if this was the level of thinking among the present State Government leaders.

"There is no use for me to go down to this level of thinking, suffice to say that the U-turn decision made by him is an admission of guilt on his part," said Mositun.

He said the people disagreed with Peter because of their genuine concern for the Covid19 pandemic and must be stopped at all costs.

"I would like to express gratitude to all for their support to my earlier statement urging the State Government to cancel the events," he said.