Other ethnics in Sabah need "champions", says SUHAKAM Commissioner

By Ezra Haganez
KOTA KINABALU: Human Rights Commission of Malaysia or SUHAKAM is of the opinion that other native groups in Sabah, other than the Kadazandusuns, really need to have their own "champions" if they are to upgrade their language to become one of the subjects in schools and colleges.

SUHAKAM Commissioner, Jannie Lasimbang, said this at the SUHAKAM's one-day Workshop on Education for Natives at a hotel here today.

"Other native ethnic groups need to have 'champions' from their own respective communities to bring up the issues of their language to be taught in schools and universities," she said.

She was giving example where the Kadazandusuns language being championed by culturalists in KDCA (Kadazanusun Cultural Association), politicians, and pioneers of NGOs like PACOS Trust and the Kadazandusun Language Foundation (KLF).


Lasimbang said the Kadazandusun language is one of only three native (orang asal) languages in Malaysia that now have a developed syllabus for teaching in primary and seconday schools. The other two being the Iban language in Sarawak and the Semai language in Peninsular.

"In fact Kadazandusun language students are ready for SPM sitting for the first time next year. With the cooperation of institutions like Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) in Tanjung Malim, Perak, we are further taking this language to a new height in teaching," she said.

However, she admitted there are a lot yet need to be done by the Education Ministry in order for the native language like Kadazandusun really being picked up as favourite subject, even among its own community.

"Fund for continuous development of the language needs to be consistently made available," she said, quoting comments made teachers involved in the developing of Kadazandusun syllabus that often they were told by bosses that fund was not available for various purpose related to it .

There are not less than 30 native groupings in Sabah alone with the major one, besides Kadazandusun, the Bajau, Murut, Rungus, Bisaya, Iranun, Suluk, Sungai, and Ubian.