Pairin: No one should have touched it
Published on: Friday, September 19, 2014
KOTA KINABALU: Deputy Chief Minister-cum-Parti Bersatu Sabah President Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan concurred that the original words assuring Federal Government guarantees as engraved on the Keningau oath stone in 1964 should be restored.He said the oath stone is a sacred piece of history which should not have been altered, adding that the important words "Kerajaan Malaysia Jamin (Government of Malaysia Guarantees)" which have been taken out must be "put back". "Tidak boleh kacau-kacau. Tidak boleh ubah itu wording (No one should have touched it. Cannot change its wording)," he said, Thursday.
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It is understood that the original bronze plaque was replaced with a new one without the particular phrase which was widely believed to have happened when the stone had to be moved to make way for a road widening project in 1978. No one knew what happened to the original plaque, but in recent years calls to restore the oath stone's words have grown and become an issue in the current debate on ascertaining Sabah's rights during the formation of Malaysia on 16th September 1963. The oath stone had the iron clad guarantee on three conditions primarily involving the concern of Sabahans during the formation, namely religious freedom, land rights and the cultures and customs. Various leaders from the Barisan Nasional and opposition have voiced their concern, calling for the original words as proclaimed and witnessed by the Agong when the stone was erected on Aug 31, 1964 to be restored.
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Pairin, who is also Keningau Member of Parliament, said it should be easy to restore the stone simply by "looking at the historical photo and putting it back." He likened the act to vandalism, saying "that it is not nice to damage other's property, especially if belongs to the public."
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Pairin said those behind the tampering should admit to their doing, as the words had assured the minds of the people of that time. "It is a heritage that should be maintained and very important," said Pairin, adding that he can inform the District Officer to restore its original form. "But I have to ask the District Officer first what really happened," he said. State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said that authorities must find out whether the words were intentionally removed or if they simply faded due to exposure to the elements."I think we should get to the bottom of this – why it was missing and take it from there," he said when contacted.Sabah Star Reform party leader Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan alleged that the removal of the words was reflective of the insincerity and ill intent of the government."By removing the key words, the government of Malaysia can now say that they do not guarantee that religious freedom; forest and that natural resources belongs to Sabah and the safeguarding of native customs, 'adat' and traditions."If the government can simply remove the key words in the oath stone, they can change anything and change the facts of history as and when they like and not honour the Malaysia Agreement and the terms of the formation of Malaysia," he said.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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