The Unduk Ngadau (UN), as most of the general public would likely know, is at its core about honouring the sacrifice of Huminodun, the woman in the Kadazandusun legend who gave up her life to save her people from famine. What many might not know, particularly those who do not watch the whole contest from start to end, is how a new UN is chosen and crowned every year. She is chosen from the top seven contestants all of whom will undergo the final round of Q&A to find out who among them is worthy to get that shiny tiara. Though this part of the UN contest is to test their brain power, it takes a back seat to what still remains as the overwhelming focus of the contest in the public’s eye: physical attractiveness. Judging in the contest, of course, does not weigh up ‘physical attractiveness’ but the chitter-chatter in the public square tells a different story and people would undoubtedly be hung up on who among the contestants is the prettiest, going against what the true spirit of Huminodun is all about.
Certainly, the UN contest in its own way does preserve and promote the native culture of Sabah. A case in point is having the contestants show off their respective traditional outfit on stage while the details of said outfit are explained by the emcee, serving as an informal way of educating about the cultural diversity of Sabah to the public, particularly the younger generations. On top of that, contestants who made it through to the top 15 undergo a Q&A round wherein they would need to say out their answer in their respective ethnic tongue, though this is optional in the Q&A round for the top seven. Admirable of an aim encouraging and safeguarding Sabah’s native culture may be, it sadly does not send across the true message of the Huminodun legend: self-sacrifice and selflessness. As the UN contest is set up right now, it is unclear how winning the UN crown is carried over into giving up your time and energy to serve the Sabah community as Huminodun did in the legend. The contestants may give out brief suggestions on how to do so in their Q&A round. Nevertheless, how likely would any of these suggestions be turned into something the Sabahan community can feel and see on the ground in the end, carried out by the bare hands of the contestants? Granted, one of the responsibilities of the winner after being crowned is to carry out some form of community service, but what kind that would exactly be and how that would be carried out is set by the UN contest organising team, not the UN herself.
To pick out contestants who truly stand for the self-sacrificing and selfless spirit of Huminodun, an element akin to a proposal pitching should be tightly woven into the UN contest as one of, if not the, judging criteria. The contestants would lay out and send in a proposal spelling out a project on how to handle the many issues faced by the Sabah people, spotlighting the need to forward the native culture of Sabah. The contestants would then need to pitch and argue for their proposal in front of a judging panel made up of expert policy-makers in an in-depth interview carried out before the main UN event. On top of that, extra marks would be given out to them if they can pitch their proposal in their respective ethnic tongues. During the main UN event, their proposals in the form of a short video presentation can be broadcast so that everyone else too can jump on board and give their two cents on how suitable the proposals pitched by the contestants are. The winner would be awarded, along with the typical prizes for winning the UN crown, a sizable grant to fund and carry out her project as laid out in her proposal. If proposal pitching were part of the UN contest, it would not only be a true test of how well the contestants can think but also how much thought they have put into understanding and helping the Sabah people overcome the issues they face. Proposal pitching might not be as flashy or as eye-catching as walking down stage with bedazzling form-fitting outfits, but it better captures the essence of Hominodun whose value of self-sacrifice and selflessness should the UN contest be refocused towards, away from physical attractiveness.
Unduk Ngadau has been around for decades and, as with any long-standing institution, the public has mixed opinions on whether Unduk Ngadau is still relevant even until today. Some have touted it as being no different than any other beauty pageant out there with the Huminodun legend tacked on to give a veneer of relevance to the Kadazandusun, Rungus and Murut (KDMR) community. On the other hand, others have spoken for it by saying it still has cultural significance to the KDMR community as the contestants need to wear their traditional outfits and speak their ethnic tongues during the contest. Against the backdrop of this ongoing debate, perhaps we should ask ourselves whether the UN contest truly upholds the self-sacrifice and selflessness of Huminodun, two qualities it regrettably does not seem to bear out as it stands right now. Until a component evaluating self-sacrifice and selflessness such as a proposal pitching is woven into the UN contest, it would stay a dime a dozen among the many beauty pageants already held everywhere else only accessorised with a cultural mythology to give it a local dressing.
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