KadazanDusuns lose political advantage – DAP

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KOTA KINABALU: In a democratic system of government, the number game is vital and the KadazanDusuns have lost this political advantage, DAP Sabah Secretary Dr Edwin Bosi said.

The KadazanDusuns are no longer the largest ethnic group in Sabah and they do not have many state or parliamentary seats that they dominate as they have only about 18 state and seven parliamentary seats to their advantage, he opined.

Bosi believes that once the political advantage is lost, the KadazanDusuns can expect to be sidelined and marginalized.

“The KadazanDusun community’s only hope is the awakening of the Muslim natives, the Bajaus and the Irranun as the new Bumiputeras (illegal immigrants being given Malaysian citizenship) are also impacting on the rights and privileges of the Muslim natives,” he said.

According to Bosi, the resentment is growing and it is only when the genuine Muslim natives decide to work together with other natives and the Chinese community that this new Bumiputera can be neutralized.

Speaking at a forum on the issue of illegal immigrants and citizenship in Sabah organized by Pakatan Rakyat here yesterday, Bosi also pointed out that inter-marriage  between the KadazanDusuns and illegal immigrants is on the rise.

“As long as the Sino-Natives or children born of mixed marriages are not recognized by the government, the KadazanDusun race will be on the verge of extinction. The road to extinction becomes even smoother when the marriages involved Muslim foreigners as their children are now Malay,” he lamented.

In terms of economy, Bosi was of the opinion that the KadazanDusuns have dropped another rank to become third class Bumiputera and they have already lost out to the Muslim Bumiputera and the new Bumiputera in terms of opportunity in the civil service, government linked companies, universities and foreign diplomatic services.

In conclusion to his presentation, he pointed out that the KadazanDusuns who were the majority in the 1960s, had been directly involved in the formation and establishment of the Federation of Malaysia.

They have always worked closely with the Chinese community to attain political dominance, he said, adding, “this advantage is now gone when thousands of illegal immigrants have been legalized with many now registered to vote.

“The KadazanDusuns are now only good for the opposition bench. Without political leverage, the KadazanDusuns will continue to lose out. They will be sidelined and marginalized,” he claimed.

In view of that, the only hope for the KadazanDusuns, according to him, is to unite and support Pakatan Rakyat.

“The KadazanDusun leaders must be brave to fight for the rights of the community within the framework of a Pakatan Rakyat government. As far as the KadazanDusuns are concerned, this 13th General Election will be the defining moment for the community,” Bosi stressed.