KOTA KINABALU: July 8, 2026 – Approximately 65 percent of the Dusunik community in Sabah are estimated to no longer speak their mother tongue, raising concerns over the survival of the language if preservation efforts are not strengthened.
In response, the Sabah Dusunik Language Preservation Association (KBDS) continues to intensify various initiatives to preserve, develop, and sustain the Dusunik language, particularly among the younger generation.
KBDS President, Datuk Lawrence Gimbang, said the association was established to bring together educators and language experts to preserve the language according to its respective dialects through various academic and language development programmes.
He said these efforts are carried out through scholarly discussions, language workshops, expert consultations, and the organisation of competitions in districts with a high number of Dusunik speakers, such as Ranau, Tambunan, Tuaran, Keningau, and Penampang.
“Our aim is to encourage the Dusunik community to take pride in their ethnicity and language, and to continue speaking their mother tongue so that it does not become extinct, especially among young people who now rarely speak Kadazan Dusun.
“Our goal is to raise public awareness, particularly among the youth, about the importance of preserving the mother tongue,” he said.
He was speaking to the media after paying a courtesy call on the Head of State, Tun Musa Aman, at Istana Seri Kinabalu on Tuesday.
Lawrence said the visit was intended to inform Tun Musa about the existence of KBDS, which was registered with the Malaysian Registrar of Societies (ROS) on February 28, 2022.
According to him, the association is also seeking support for the establishment of a Dusunik Language Foundation, which would function to raise funds to finance language preservation and development activities.
He said among the programmes that have been implemented are the Mother Tongue Collaboration Visit at the Institute of Teacher Education (IPG) Kent Campus in 2022 and the Workshop on Building Dusunik Vocabulary Books and Storybooks in 2023.
In addition, KBDS will carry out the Boros Dusunik Community Programme in Tambunan this year, while continuing to provide Dusunik language consultancy services to assist in preservation and development efforts.
Lawrence said KBDS currently has approximately 900 members, with a leadership line-up of 17 committee members comprising educators, doctors, and various professionals who share the goal of empowering the Dusunik language.
Also present were KBDS Secretary-General, Petrus F. Guriting; KBDS Deputy Treasurer, Datuk Webley Disim; and KBDS Supreme Committee Member and Language Consultant, Dr. Linah Bagu.
