The newly elected committee of the Kadazan Society Sabah
KOTA KINABALU: An indigenous group wants the harvest festivals of Sabah and Sarawak to be made national public holidays.
This was among the issues endorsed during the Kadazan Society Sabah’s (KSS) triennial delegates conference here recently.
The society said it would pursue with the Federal Government that the state’s Tadau Tagazo Kaamatan, approved by the British colonial government in 1960 as a public holiday in then North Borneo, be made a national holiday together with Sarawak’s Hari Gawai.
Kaamatan is Sabah’s month-long harvest celebration that kicks off on May 1 annually, with the culmination on May 30 and 31 celebrated as state holidays.
Hari Gawai is Sarawak’s equivalent and falls on June 1 yearly.
In a statement on Saturday (Sept 30), KSS also said it would engage with Putrajaya for Kadazan to be categorised as “Bangsa Kadazan” instead of “dan lain-lain” (others).
“This is because like the Malays, Chinese and Indians, the Kadazan leaders such as Huguan Siou and (the late) Tun Fuad Stephens contributed directly to nation-building when signing the Malaysia Agreement 1963 on July 9, 1963.
“The Kadazans are also the founding community partner in the formation of Malaysia,” it said.
Another matter highlighted at the conference, the society said, was the call for the Education Ministry to have a properly written history of the formation of Malaysia.
“One more important issue discussed was that in the teachings of languages, especially the native indigenous languages, it must strictly and completely comply with the Education Act 1996 in relation to the teachings of the mother tongues,” it said.
Meanwhile, Datuk Seri Marcel Leiking was returned unopposed as the KSS president at the conference.
The new committee line-up are deputy president Datuk Albert F. Tokuzip and seven vice presidents Hector Jintoni, Benedict Malanjum, Athanasius John Staun @ Ahmad Staun, Hamdan Suarah, Anastasia Modili, Dr Jiloris F Dony and Philip Mosinoh.
Batholomew Jingulam was appointed the secretary-general and Humfrey J Suimin as the treasurer-general.
