KOTA KINABALU: The continuity of the Kadazandusun language is highly dependent on the constant use of the language by those in the community.
And Kaamatan is the time when the Kadazandusun language should be used even more frequently than others, KDCA supreme council member Jeoffrey Ekol said.
This, however, is not the case, Jeoffrey lamented, as he noticed that a number of Kadazandusun leaders are more inclined to deliver their speeches in Bahasa Melayu and not in Kadazandusun when officiating at the Kaamatan celebrations at village or district level.
“With what is happening now, I am worried that we will lose the Kadazandusun language in the near future… faster than I thought it would happen,” Jeoffrey stressed.
He is of the opinion that the master of ceremony (MC) at state-level Kaamatan celebration should be speaking Kadazandusun or at least be able to address the audience in Bahasa Melayu and Kadazandusun.
According to Jeoffrey, his worry is further compounded by what he claimed as the lack of usage of the Kadazandusun language at this year’s Kaamatan celebrations statewide.
“In all the Kaamatan celebrations in the state last year, almost all the guests of honour and the MCs spoke in Bahasa Melayu and this year it is worst,” he said, adding that he found it strange that a leader of the Kadazandusun community who is fluent in their mother tongue chooses to address the community in Bahasa Melayu.
“We hope our leaders of all levels, when officiating Kaamatan, will use the Kadazandusun language in their speeches and later deliver a short address in either Bahasa Melayu or English for the benefit of the non-Kadazadusun speaking audience,” he stressed.
Jeoffrey stressed that it is not enough to be proud and to love the language but there must be an overriding effort to speak it all the time.
“This is very important because when we lose our language, we lose our identity,” he said.