Putting the oath stone into proper prospective
TAN Sri Richard A. Lind’s book “My Sabah reminiscences of a former State Secretary” has put the matter of the oath stone into proper prospective.
After all, he was the District Officer who presided over the selection and erection of the famous and historical oath stone in Keningau on August 31, 1964.
According to Lind, the people of Sabah’s interior were historically tribal and their tribalism invariably incurred disputes with other tribes.
The warring factions had historically resolved their dispute by diplomacy, and the resolution was depicted by the planting of an oath stone symbolizing the establishment of peace.
Traditionally, the planting or the laying of a stone was conducted with considerable ceremony and presided over by the high priests, who would make animal sacrifices such as a chicken, pigs and buffalo, and using the sacrificial blood to consecrate the stone and affirm the power of the oath.
An oath stone is held in reverence by the people of the interior as any person or tribe breaking the terms of peace symbolized by the oath stone is said to be liable to incur misfortune or disaster.
As this had involved the founding of a nation, it is believed that bad omens can be felt at the national level.
The indigenous people of the interior acceptance of the Federation led to the laying of an oath stone commemorating the occasion and publicly displaying the terms under which they joined the Federation.
That stone was held in great significance by the natives and respected by all parties to the agreement. All the parties concerned had decided that an oath stone was the appropriate way to acknowledge acceptance of joining the Federation.
The concept of Federalism was greeted with widespread fear and suspicion by the people of North Borneo (Sabah). These concerns were largely based upon the view that to join the Federation would mean loss of autonomy and identity.
The 20 points were incorporated as special safeguards guaranteed to allay fears and suspicions of the people of North Borneo and make Malaysia acceptable to the country as a whole.
However, for the people of Sabah’s interior, the concept of a written constitution or for that matter the “Twenty Points” safeguard without accepted traditional symbolism was difficult to grasp, thus, reluctance continued.
The concept was finally accepted with the granting of certain guarantees aligned to the intended spirit of the “Twenty Points”.
Those guarantees were literally set in stone in a manner reflective of the traditions of the people of the interior. And so it is as depicted on the oath stone:
BATU SUMPAH PERINGATAN
MENGIKUT PERLEMBAGAAN
KERAJAAN MALAYSIA JAMIN
1. UGAMA BEBAS DALAM SABAH
2. TANAH2 DALAM SABAH DI-KUASAI OLEH KERAJAAN SABAH
3. ADAT ISTIADAT ANAK RAYAT SABAH DIHORMATKAN DAN DIPELIHARA OLEH KERAJAAN
SEBALEK PULA RAYAT2 SABAH DI-DALAM INTERIOR BERSUMPAH TA¡¯AT SETIA KEPADA KERAJAAN MALAYSIA The English translation reads: OATH STONE MEMORIAL ACCORDING TO THE CONSTITUTION
MALAYSIAN GOVERNMENT GUARANTEES
1. FREEDOM OF RELIGION IN SABAH
2. THE GOVERNMENT OF SABAH HOLDS AUTHORITY OVER LANDS IN SABAH
3. NATIVE TRADITIONS AND CUSTOM ARE RESPECTED AND PRESERVED BY THE GOVERNMENT
IN RETURN FOR THE CONCESSIONS GRANTED ON THE STONE THE PEOPLE OF THE INTERIOR SWEAR THEIR LOYALTY TO THE MALAYSIAN GOVERNMENT.
While written laws or agreements can be amended or deleted, the three guarantees by the Malaysian Government which were engraved on the oath stone cannot be amended or deleted.
There was an attempt to remove the three words “Kerajaan Malaysia Jamin” when a new plaque was drilled on the stone.
The three words are the spirit of the Batu Sumpah. My “sifu” Lim Kit Siang realised the importance and significance of the Batu Sumpah.
As the then chairman of DAP Sabah Native Consultative Council, we had worked hard to raise the Batu Sumpah issue and managed to erect seven replicas at Inanam, Pensiangan, Moyog, Merotai, Matunggong, Melalap and Sook.
Kit Siang had called for a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on the Batu Sumpah, to determine if the aspirations and dreams of the Natives of the Interior have been fulfilled or otherwise.
Now that he is the government of the day, I sincerely hope that Kit Siang will walk the talk and raise this matter in Parliament so that the RCI on the Batu Sumpah can be established.