UNITY IN DIVERGENCE

There is no surer tie between friends than when they are united in their objects and wishes. - Cicero

Kuala Terengganu will have for its turn, let others dwell on that first. Today, Daily Express pursuits one of the never ending and open ended issue among the Dusuns and the Kadazans following the claim by KSS President that there is no such thing as KadazanDusun. I am with him on this though we belong to different sub groups of the large and complex Dusun ethnicity. In the special report, DE shares the events which lead to the Dusuns being called Kadazans and today KadazanDusun. It starts from a scheme by a very cunning politician to gain political control and mileage on the verge of foundation of Malaysia in 1963.

Notwithstanding his obvious contributions towards the independence and development of Sabah, Donald Stephens, a visionary leader of mix blood is mainly responsible towards the enmity and chaos that the Dusuns are experiencing today. Taking Fauzi Patel's words, Stephens in order to seize the limelight and to be seen as a frontrunner in Sabah prior and after its independence, has bulldozed the idea that every Dusun, irrespective of his or her geographical location will be known solely and only as Kadazan. The reason according to his shallow but cunning mind, Dusun is a term coined by the British to identify those living in rural areas, those who live relatively poor and backdated as compared to the 'Kadazan' who coincidentally live in urban or sub urban areas and therefore are relatively advanced at least from economic point of view. These people as we know dwell mostly in Penampang and Papar which are within arms length from the centre of everything - politics, economy and social activities known later as Kota Kinabalu.

It might be true that such term is coined by the British to make it easier for them to identify and ultimately control the people since being the colonisers they will do their utmost best to downgrade and shame the sons of the soil for their self deserving purposes. Taking the cue, as intelligent as he is, Stephens quickly takes over the helm of the Kadazan Society of Penampang by saying (in Patel's words) that the Chairman, who is a Sino by the way, as being incapable of doing anything. Being a trusted underling of the British and at the same time feeling insecure of his mix blood, his coup is indeed a very sensible way to do.

Immediately, he convenes a congress initially to form a racial based political organisation but there is one major problem, the name of the organisation. He therefore with the help of his supporters including a Dusun from Ranau who later on become the Federal Works Minister try to sell the idea that Dusun, a term he claimed concocted by the British carries with it negative and downward degrading image and identity to the Dusuns as well as the fact that Kadazan brings with it a better image being literally translated into 'town dwellers' or from the word 'kakadayan' which means shops or town. With his charisma and bulldozing tactics, finally UNKO comes into reality. He later on manages to secure another coup by ascending to the title 'Huguan Siou'. Being the Huguan Siou he successfully proves himself to be a full blooded native of the land no more a person with mix blood whom the British consider to be more British than a native!

For decades, the Dusuns have to endure the fact that they are being unacknowledged and sidelined just because their ethnicity connotes backwardness according to some. Fortunately, there's some who albeit discreetly support the formation of the United Dusun Sabah Association (USDA) and at the same time affected the changing of name of Kadazan Cultural Association to KadazanDusun Cultural Association hence, the birth of KadazanDusun. Although now, instead of being the big brother as it supposes to be Dusun becomes the second fiddle to Kadazan. This is certainly tantamount to denying the social and historical facts that Dusun first and foremost is the umbrella of all the Dusun sub ethnics including Kadazan, Lotud, Liwan, Bundu and others.

Nonetheless, we need to be grateful since finally Dusun is starting to gain its former position which has been severely destroyed by those who are ashamed of their own origin. While the rest may have opted for Kadazan because of its so-called negative connotation but for intelligent politician like Stephens, it all comes to power and authority. In fact by championing the Kadazan issue, he inadvertently says that he is ashamed of his mix blood lineage. Although the current KDCA President and the second Huguan Siou in public declares himself to be a Kadazan but how could he allows KCA to become KDCA and let others form USDA if not because deep down he sees himself as a Dusun from Tambunan.

It may be true that Dusun is a term coined by the British since there are various villages or rural dwellers at that particular time like those Bundu, Liwan, Kwijau, Kimaragang and many others. Therefore, to collectively identify them and also for other ulterior motives, the British decide to call them 'Dusun, which other claim to originate from the Malay word to refer to orchards. Nonetheless, such claim has yet to be proven linguistically or from historical perspective. Even if it is true we have to accept it as part of our history and learn from the Philippines which mean the subjects of King Philip of Spain. Such is even more degrading since they are being named after a colonial power and even a local name then. Gradually, they come to accept it and today those nations of countless islands proudly referred themselves as the Republic of the Philippines.

We no longer need to be ashamed of the name since we have come so far and achieved many things at par with and even greater than others. In fact, proud of our own heritage should be inculcated in each and every one of us instead being ashamed and feeling insulted. We can't afford to feel ashamed of ourselves as there are instances when people rather adopt other community's identity rather than using the image and identity of their own.

In fact, younger generation need to be educated of what really happened in 1961 and exposed those who have conspired through the disguise of democratic process to impose their shallow and self serving motives upon the large family of Dusun. These people need to be exposed as traitors to their own heritage and for the cowardly action of imposing their ideas of what people should called themselves. Instead of promoting divergence in unity they decide to bulldoze their way to erase their own heritage. I wonder whether Ganie Gilong still calls himself Kadazan today when the Kadazan themselves refuse to be called KadazanDusun? If he still calls himself that then I believe he is very lonely in Ranau since nobody speaks Kadazan and I bet he too converse fluently in Dusun rather than Kadazan though he is in Penampang!

Having stated the above, it is not my intention to bring dissension and enmity between the Dusuns and Kadazans. It is my intention to bring forward the truth about selfish behaviour of certain leaders to achieve their personal ambitions by deliberately changing the history and heritage of their own people. As for the late Stephens (Al - Fatihah) his intention may only that he wants to belongs and look upon as truly a native which is to certain extent very nobler of him but for others, there's only a phrase you truly deserved 'Shame on you, you ungrateful traitor!'. To those leaders like the Gunsanad brothers, kudos and thank you for sticking to your heritage.

Looking through this bitter episode, it is clear that racial based struggle is not the answer to unite the people since the Creator Himself has intended that humans belong to different race and geographical locations. If He intends it to be the other way than all of us humans will only address ourselves as humans and not Malaysians, Singaporeans and others which denote geographical origin or Dusuns, Kadazans, Ibans, Malays, Chinese and many others. In its unlimited wisdom, Allah SWT in Surah Al- Hujurat: 18 has stated that:

'O people! We created you from one man and one woman and made you branches and tribes that you may recognize one another. Undoubtedly, the most respected among you in the sight of Allah is he who is more pious, verily, Allah is knowing, Aware.'

Although he does not go further by banning other languages and lifestyles but as it is the intention of our Creator that we are to communicate and interact with other races and people, his intention to see only Kadazan as the identity is surely doomed from its inception and will later bring dissension and chaos. It is wrong to force one's own idea and agenda to serve one purposes as we have seen in a neighbouring nation whereby on the surface it seems that they are of one race but deep inside many feel oppressed and sidelined because they are forced to assume an identity of others while their own have to be suppressed.

Between Stephens and Mustapha, the later proves to be a better politician since he manages to unify the people from different backgrounds under USNO. Instead of narrowing the scope, Mustapha sees that Sabah itself is enough to unify and serve his political ambition. Stephens may have wrongly believes that being the majority the Dusuns will become a major force but he seems to forget or decides to ignore the fact that Sabah or North Borneo at that time consists of different races and different races have their own uniqueness. This uniqueness is what Mustapha views as an asset.

Forcing one's ideas will certainly bring animosity among the people though one may only have good intention. Congratulation to Daily Express the excellent piece of history which only a handful know and thank you to those whose sentiment I share that KadazanDusun is in fact a misnomer and a term to deceive the people of the reality.

In union there is strength. - Aesop