Oath Stone transfer nothing to do with state govt – Warisan

KOTA KINABALU: The recent Keningau Oath Stone transfer ceremony has nothing to do with the current Sabah government and was approved and funded by the previous federal government, clarified Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) secretary general Loretto Sipin Padua.

Padua denied the opposition claims linking the government with the process of transfer and said the allegations stating that the Warisan-led government had politicized Batu Sumpah was not true at all.

“The idea of the transfer was submitted by the previous government and the allocation for the ceremony was approved and presented by the former Minister of Tourism and Culture Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz, which was also attended by state Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders at that time including Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan and Tan Sri Joseph Kurup and the Keningau District Officer,” he said in a statement released here yesterday.

“It is unfair to accuse government leaders present during the ceremony with various allegations because our presence was just an invitation and on the basis of respecting the ceremonial transfer of the Oath Stone which is so important to the rural community,” added Padua.

Loretto said he wasn’t sure why the Keningau MP, Bingkor state assemblyman and the Huguan Siou were not present during the recent historical ceremony.