Batu Sumpah is merely symbolic
Published on: Friday, March 13, 2015
Kuala Lumpur: The Oath Stone (Batu Sumpah) in Keningau is only a symbol to commemorate the formation of Malaysia and not proof of the agreement and oath between the Federal and Sabah State Government to form Malaysia.Instead, the formation of Malaysia was based on the agreement between the British, Federation of Malaya, Sabah (then known as British North Borneo), Sarawak and Singapore through a written agreement sealed on July 9, 1963 and known as The Malaysia Agreement.Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Hajah Nancy Shukri said the history of the Oath Stone or Batu Sumpah in Keningau could be traced in the Cobbold Commission Report.
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Based on the series of hearings to gather feedback from the people of Sabah and Sarawak on the formation of Malaysia, the Cobbold Commission received, among others, a memorandum from the Chairman of the United National Kadazan Organisation (Unko) Keningau branch.Nancy said paragraph seven of the memorandum stated that "we agree with the request for safeguards but request that with the realisation of Malaysia, a stone will be planted according to our custom, in Keningau with the safeguards to be written in the stone."She said the Cobbold Commission had taken note of the matter as seen in paragraph 118 of its Report: "The Safeguards which were suggested to us varied considerably in importance. In setting them out below, which was attached to each of them and the extent to which they represented the views of substantial sections of the indigenous population. The suggestion was sometimes made that safeguards should be symbolised following tradition by a stone monument as a lasting reminder of the assurances given."
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However, she said, it was noted that the Cobbold Commission did not make any further statement on the proposal to plant the oath stone. Hence, the Oath Stone in Keningau is merely a symbol commemorating the formation of Malaysia, she told Putatan MP Datuk Dr Marcus Mojigoh in Parliament, Thursday.Mojigoh had asked for the Federal Government to state its view and commitment on the Keningau Oath Stone in line with the Malaysia Agreement as well as the steps taken by the Government in response to the allegation by certain quarters that the three guarantees in the Oath Stone .
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In the Oath Stone, the Federal Government guaranteed freedom of religion in Sabah, land to be under Sabah Government's jurisdiction and the native's customs to be protected.According to Nancy, the Malaysia Agreement, among others, covered the 20 Points from Sabah and the 18 Points from Sarawak as safeguards to protect the two states' interests, rights and autonomy power of its people once Malaysia is formed."These rights and autonomy of the people of Sabah have been strongly protected not just in the Sabah Constitution but, in fact, in the Malaysia Constitution and country's law by the Federal Government," she said.She cited Article 11 of the Federal Constitution on freedom of religion and worshipers of the various religions in the country free to set up and manage their own religious institutions. As for land, she said Article 161A of the Federal Constitution provided power to the State Legislative Assembly of the Malaysia Bornean states to give land to natives.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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