Revert to original wording: Kurup
Published on: Thursday, September 18, 2014
Kota Kinabalu: The Government should reinstate the words "Kerajaan Malaysia Jamin (Malaysian Government guarantees)" on the historical Oath Stone here so that the wishes of the Interior natives who, initially had reservations on the formation of Malaysia, will be forever honoured and respected. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department whose portfolio covers national unity, Tan Sri Joseph Kurup, said he would forward the request to the relevant authority to ensure the words on the stone are similar to the original words as was proclaimed and witnessed by the Agong when the stone was erected on August 31, 1964 - exactly a year after Sabah achieved self-government status. Kurup added that the history of the oath stone is unique in Malaysian political development and should be incorporated into history books and taught to the younger generations so they would know how the country was formed on Sept. 16, 1963.
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"The oath stone is a symbol of unity, freedom and peace in the country. I hope that the history of this stone will be included in the history of the country because without it, there is no Malaysia. I also urge the Government to consider placing the oath stone as the nation's symbol," said Kurup, who is Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah(PBRS) President. The Oath Stone had iron clad guarantees on three conditions that worried the people most then, namely religious freedom, land rights and the cultures and customs of Sabahans. Only when these were guaranteed did the interior natives accept the new Malaysian Federation. They also wanted these to be literally cast in stone in a ceremonial ritual as was the adat then due to common distrust for anything that was written on paper. Former State Secretary Tan Sri Richard Lind, who was entrusted with winning over the natives to the idea of the formation, said the oath stone was, to the simple natives, the equivalent of a written constitution and honouring the 20 Points safeguards set in stone. Lind, who was then the District Officer of Keningau, said when assigned the task, he went to extraordinary lengths to find the right size stone which was embedded in the middle of the Pegalan river and submerged in high waters.
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But with the help of a local contractor, Nip Kui Chang, they managed to retrieve it and deposit it at the District Office compound. A plaque was then commissioned by Thonycraft Shipyard in Singapore which was affixed to the stone with words that had to be agreed upon by the District Chiefs led by OKK Sedomon and that these must be guaranteed by the new Malaysian Government. "They have great constitutional significance and any amendment to them must be agreed upon by the State Government," Lind said. It is widely believed that the tampering could have occurred at the time that the stone was moved to make way for a road widening project in 1978. Fellow Barisan Nasional component Parti Bersatu Sabah is also upset that the original inscription on the Oath Stone commemorating Sabah's freedom from colonial rule and forming of the new nation of Malaysia had been changed and wants the omission rectified immediately. "It is wrong to alter the original wording.
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History must not and cannot be tampered with," said PBS Secretary General Datuk Johnny Mositun, before leaving with a Malaysian delegation to attend a UN conference in New York. "The State Government should investigate it as a matter of urgency because the Oath Stone was important to the people of Sabah and is considered a national heritage. "Tampering with the inscription on the oath stone is tantamount to disrespect for the dignity of the State. If we are not careful this issue could become a rallying point for those who are already dissatisfied with Kuala Lumpur over a lot of other related issues concerning the formation of Malaysia, including the date of our Merdeka celebration," he said. Mositun said merely omitting the mention of the number of years of independence when celebrating Merdeka Day was only a half-solution. "With all respect to those who are trying to offer their solutions to this ongoing controversy, merely omitting the years seems at best a contentious measure that will not hold for long," he said. Mositun also said using the United States as an example to explain away the controversy over the Merdeka Day Celebration date was not quite right because the original United States of America was formed by a small number of New England Colonies, and other states joined in at later dates as and when their legislatures voted to do so. "But Malaysia was not formed that way. It was formed on Sept 16, 1963 by four independent entities, now three because of Singapore's exit. There is no question of anyone 'joining' Malaysia because Malaysia did not exist before that," Mositun said. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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