A home for oath stone at last
Historical artefact can be viewed at Sabah muzium from Sept 16
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s historical oath stone will be open to the public on Malaysia Day at its new home at the Muzium Warisan Keningau.
The stone, which had been relocated several times over the years to make way for development, is now permanently placed at the heritage museum.
Opening it to visitors on Sept 16 is significant for the symbol that bears the bill of guarantees assuring Sabahans of their rights upon the formation of Malaysia.
On Sunday, the relocation was held amid a full customary ritual that started with shamans (or bobohizans in the native Kadazandusun term) conducting prayers and chants along with the sacrificing of livestock including male buffaloes and white chickens.
After that, the lead shaman Muri Kulim and some 1,000 of his escorts marched from where the oath stone was at the Keningau District Secretariat Office all the way to the museum.
The ceremony was officiated by Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister’s political secretary Raymond Ahuar.
Keningau district officer Yusop Osman said RM1.025mil was spent on the effort to restore and relocate the stone.
“The relocation was done according to native Kadazandusun and Murut customary beliefs and rituals, just like the way it was done when the stone was first put up on Aug 31, 1964,” he said.
The then federal labour minister Tan Sri V. Manickavasagam officiated the placing of the oath stone, witnessed, among others, by the Sabah chief minister at that time Tun Fuad Stephens and Dusun community leader Datuk G.S. Sundang, who was formerly Sabah deputy chief minister.
There had been some controversies surrounding the oath stone previously, including natives finding “copies” of the stone in several parts of Keningau, 71km south of here.
Three years ago, there was another controversy when it was found that the words “Kerajaan Malaysia Jamin” (Malaysian government guarantees) were missing from the plaque.
It remains a mystery as to where and when the original was changed but the then Bingkor assemblyman Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan had given the government a plaque, which he claimed to be the original.
It has been handed over to the museum for safekeeping.
The Keningau Oath Stone is important to not only Sabahans but also Malaysia as it serves to assure the Sabahans that their rights to
religious freedom, land, culture and customs, among others, are guaranteed even after Sabah, together with Sarawak and Singapore, joined Malaya to form Malaysia on Sept 16, 1963.