Bundu-Liwan dialect official Kadazandusun language in school – Madius

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Madius (seated second right) listening to briefing presented by from Dr Morni.

KOTA KINABALU: Deputy Chief Minister cum Minister of Trade and Industry Datuk Seri Panglima Wilfred Madius Tangau clarified that there should no longer be any confusion arising from what ethnic language to be used as the standard and official Kadazandusun language to be taught in school as the decision to use the Bundu-Liwan dialect have been agreed upon between the two major Kadazandusun association namely the Kadazabdusun Cultural Association (KDCA) and United Sabah Dusun Association (USDA) way back in 1988.

Madius who is also the President-elect of UPKO was explaining this issue during a courtesy call at his office by a six-member delegation from the Kadazandusun Language Club of SIDMA College lead by SIDMA Chairman Dr Morni Kambrie and club President, Salumah Nain who called upon Madius today.

“When the proposal to teach the Kadazandusun language in school was forwarded to the Federal government in mid 1980s during the tenure of the late Dr. Sulaiman Daud as the Education Minister, both KDCA (then KCA) and USDA signed an agreement to use the Bundu-Liwan dialect as the dialect to be used to teach the Kadazandusun language in School. Although at that time political differences separated the leaders of KDCA and USDA, however both association; KDCA represented by Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan as President, and Wilfred Bumburing as the Secretary General; and USDA by the late Datuk Mark Koding as the president then and Mr. Raymond Tombung as the secretary general, signed the agreement to finally decide to use the Bundu-Liwan dialect as the standard Kadazandusun language.” Madius explained.

Madius also said that the decision to decide to use the Bundu-Liwan dialect as the standard Kadazandusun language was a result of a resolution reached during a KCA-organised symposium held at the Perkasa Hotel in Kundasang in 1988.

“When we were first informed that the Education Ministry were prepared to approved the proposal to teach the Kadazandusun language in school, question arose as to which dialect to use considering that there are more than 30 different dialect being spoken of among the Kadazandusun tribes. As a member of the then KCA central committee, and as the Chairman of the Language and Literature Bureau of KCA, I was tasked with organizing the symposium which were attended by the majority stakeholders and we therefore reach a consensus that the Bundu-Liwan dialect would be the official language that will be taught in School and that it will be called the Kadazandusun language incorporating the two words, Kadazan and Dusun, into one word that would defined the Kadazandusun language.” Madius added.

Meanwhile, Madius expressed his desire that the Kadazandusun Language Foundation (KLF) would stick to its original objective in promoting the teaching of the Kadazandusun language using the dialect that it was originally tasked to carry out.

During the courtesy call, Salumah presented a letter of invitation to Madius to be the Patron of the upcoming Sodop Pisompuruan program which the club plans to hold in November at a prominent local hotel in Kota Kinabalu.

Meanwhile, Madius commended the initiative being undertaken by SIDMA in promoting the Kadazandusun language and urge SIDMA to promote the creation of Kadazandusun Language Club in Primary and Secondary school stressing that the learning of the Kadazandusun Language should not restricted to Kadazandusun students but also to the students from the other ethnic group as well.