We refer to the Malaysiakini report KadazanDusuns not 'natives' of Sabah . We regret to note that it is construed as misleading and is confusing to the readers.

The term ‘Kadazandusuns’ and ‘KadazanDusuns’ are two different terms as differentiated by the usage of the small vowel 'd' and capital 'D', the latter being two indigenous tribes of ‘Kadazan’ and ‘Dusun’ merged together, while the former is a coined word - a term expediently assigned to unify the two indigenous tribes for whatever reasons – that does not denote a race.

Clarence Bongkos Malakun (KSS Trustee Chairman) has correctly pointed that out when he said: ‘The term 'Kadazandusun' is not an indigenous ethnic race per se in Sabah.’ We should either be Kadazan or Dusun depending on one's own preference.

‘We should respect those who wish to be known as ‘Dusun’ just as we expect others to respect our preference to be known as ‘Kadazan’.

KSS President Marcel Leiking also rightly said at the KSS Christmas and New Year Dinner function in Kota Kinabalu on Dec 23, 2008 that:

‘There are Kadazans in Sabah and there are Dusuns. If you are comfortable with ‘Kadazan’ or ‘Dusun’, so be it. But not ‘Kadazandusun’ which is not an ethnic indigenous term (recognised) in Sabah.’

According to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, ‘the term 'Kadazan-Dusun' (also written as Kadazandusun) is the term assigned to the unification of the classification of two indigenous tribes in Sabah, Malaysia - the ethnic groups of Kadazan and Dusun.’

The Kadazan Society Sabah (KSS), however, maintains its stance that the term ‘Kadazandusun’ is not an ethnic indigenous tribe to describe a race nor it is a native race found in Sabah.

The above report, therefore, is misleading and confusing your readers as well as insulting the intelligence of the indigenous tribes of Sabah!

The Kadazans and Dusuns or ‘KadazanDusuns’ in short are undeniably the indigenous tribes or natives of Sabah.

The writer is deputy president, Kadazan Society Sabah (KSS).