The Kadazandusun Initiators

If the three Kadazandusun kampung leaders, the late K.K. Lojimon, of Kampung Sugud, the now aged exNative Chief and ex-K.K., Gundohing Emmanuel Tangit Kinajil, of Kampung Babagon and the late Gundohing Josue Moinin, of Puun Tunoh, happened to have pursued such dreams and exerted as such selfless efforts during the post Independence Era, as of the present days, their effort might have been fully recognised and appreciated by the Government. They could have been bestowed the awards of the PGDK decorations which naturally could have brought them the Datukship title. They had established some exemplary work which benefited quite a large section of the communities. They had not only established primary schools but they had built them on their own lands! But, to the many people who had obtained some benefits from the efforts they had done, they were and are Datuk indeed in their memories and hearts. Ex-Native Chief and ex-K.K., Gundohing Emmanuel Tangit Kinajil, who would be celebrating his 91^st birthday in 2008, was awarded the ADK (Ahli Darjah Kinabalu), the second highest honour, being PDK the highest honour, at the time when the award was made in the 60s, and, the BSK (Bintang Setia Kinabalu), a lowly 5^th in rank honour, obtained in recent times. The second highest honour nowadays is the PGDK which carries the Datukship title. The Teaching of the Kadazandusun Language for the first time in 1995, in the present school setup, as claimed and advocated by a number of community and political leaders nowadays, is not completely true. It has once been taught for a few years in a real presentday-like classroom setting way back in 1950s. The Catholic Missionary Schools, St. Michael’s Primary and St. Joseph’s Primary, followed the Native Voluntary Schools in Kampung Babagon, Kampung Sugud and Kampung Puun Tunoh, first started to teach the Kadazandusun Language of the Tangaa’ dialect. For others to say that the first Kadazandusun school was put up somewhere near the northern town of Sabah only in 2006/2007 is not even a half-truth. But if claims were not challenged, for why challenge claims if it did not bring any harm to anybody, then they would eventually be considered true and by their own accord would establish themselves as the truth and be readily accepted by everyone as the only truth. It has been long regretted that the Kadazandusun people are not united. Unity, the lack of it in all aspects, is feared the curse of the race! Even if a Kadazandusun was highly educated, as long as a Kadazandusun person, he would engineer a device to knock in and “shorten” down another Kadazandusun person so that he himself could be seen towering above him. Such was and perhaps, still is, the Kadazandusun prevalent hard-to-change mentality. How long still would it be before such a mentality is completely eradicated? Soibu toun po mantad baino?