style="text-transform: uppercase;">Kota Kinabalu: The UK-based Borneo's Plight in Malaysia Foundation (Bopim) has "no objections", in principle, to the Democratic Action Party Sabah (DAP) erecting replicas of Batu Sumpah (Oath Stone) all over Sabah and even in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya but is sceptical on its outcome.The human rights NGO is sceptical what the local chapter of the peninsula-based political party hopes to achieve with its campaign which has apparently been boycotted by the Huguan Siou of Sabah, Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan, himself and the Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties.

"The DAP must tell the people of Sabah clearly what comes after they have finished erecting all the replica Batu Sumpah that they want in Sabah and elsewhere," said Bopim Chief Daniel John Jambun in a telephone call expressing his reservations about the DAP Sabah campaign.

"After being taken for a ride by Putrajaya for over 50 years, we don't want DAP to do the same thing to us through their local chapter. The replica Batu Sumpah, in Bopim's view, should not be cheap politics flogging a dead horse…people are talking about it everywhere and getting more confused," he added.

"Would DAP advise the people of Sabah to withdraw their loyalty pledge to Malaysia since the Federal Government has been in violation of Batu Sumpah?" asked Daniel.

"They must state this clearly so that we know what the end game is going to be. DAP, which has an army of lawyers at its disposal, can also advise the people whether their loyalty pledge has in fact lapsed automatically, since the Federal Government violated Batu Sumpah, and so the question of withdrawing it does not arise," he said.

If the loyalty pledge has ceased to exist, added Daniel, "what purpose does it serve to erect replica Batu Sumpah? To remind us of the dead horse we are flogging? DAP Sabah said it was to raise awareness."

Raising awareness, continued Daniel, has come too little, too late. "The DAP, when it was PAP in the peninsula, was busy fighting Umno and forgot Sabah and Sarawak."

Daniel reminded DAP that it was because of then Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, leader of the PAP, that Sabah and Sarawak came under the yoke of Kuala Lumpur/Putrajaya in 1963 after the British departed.

"He left after two years and left us stranded in Malaysia. Did he lift even a finger to help us after that?"

DAP must get Lee, stressed Daniel, to speak up on the plight of Borneo in Malaysia. "This is perhaps the last thing that Lee can do for us," said Daniel.

"Perhaps he can act as an honest broker between Borneo and Malaysia."

On a plus point, Daniel conceded that DAP came up with something good in its recent Bintulu Declaration where it pledged to respect Sabah and Sarawak as equal partners of Malaya (the peninsula) in the Federation.