KENINGAU: Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Tan Sri Joseph Kurup, said that it is desirable and about time that the Keningau Oath Stone is made a national heritage.
The Keningau Oath Stone memorial.
“This is so that its historical significance and value to the state will not be questioned, disputed or diminished,” he said in his special message in conjunction with Malaysia Day and the honouring of the Oath Stone Memorial ceremony held at the district secretariat compound here yesterday.
Kurup, who is also the Pensiangan member of parliament, also urged the Ministry of Education to consider including the Keningau Oath Stone as part of the text history on the formation of Malaysia.
He said this should be done as the message imparted through the Oath Stone is very clear and conclusive so that it can be viewed by the younger generation in this state and Malaysia.
“It is most appropriate for it to be included in the syllabus of Malaysian history as an early exposure for groups of young people, particularly students,” he said.
Kurup also described as meaningful the gathering to commemorate a historic event in Sabah in celebrating Malaysia Day which falls on September 16.
According to him, this historic event marks the acceptance of the formation of Malaysia by the Interior people of Sabah and the conditions guaranteed by the government as etched on the Keningau Oath Stone.
He said the guaranteed conditions as etched on the Oath Stone formed one of the historical events that must be understood by all Malaysians, particularly the youths of this country who will inherit the land of this state.
“Not many young people at present know the history of the Keningau Oath Stone. The Oath Stone, which is now 50 years old and weighing more than two tons, displays symbolically the conditions upon which Sabahans agreed to accept the idea to form Malaysia.
“At that point in time, I believe many of us were still young and did not really understand the importance of Oath Stone Memorial.
“There were strong protests from the Orang Kaya-Kaya (OKK – title of district chief) on the idea of Sabah joining Malaysia because they feared that what is contained in the Constitution of Malaysia could easily be changed because it is only written on paper compared to etching it on the Oath Stone which would be difficult to delete or change.
“To address these concerns, the Federal Government gave the people of Sabah three guarantees which were etched on the Oath Stone, stating in no uncertain terms that the Malaysian Government guarantees (jamin),” Kurup said.
The three guarantees given by the government of Malaya at that time as etched in the Oath Stone Memorial state:
. Freedom of religion in Sabah, which means the people here are free to profess and practise their own religion.
. Land in Sabah are under the control of the state government, which means that the customary land rights of the people of Sabah are to be protected and respected by the Federal Government.
. The government shall honour and preserve the customs of the Sabah people, which means that customs and practices of the people of Sabah must be respected and preserved without any restrictions and interference that will affect the practice of the traditional Sabah communities.
In reciprocation, the residents in the interior of Sabah promised their loyalty to the government of Malaysia.
Kurup said the Oath Stone Memorial is to all the people that the state only agreed to be part of Malaysia on condition the three guarantees by the Federal Government etched on Oath Stone Memorial are honored forever.
“A guarantee is immune to time. This guarantee should be respected and defended by all parties, the Federal Government, State Government and the people of Sabah forever.
“This guarantee is not a common guarantee, but a guarantee that is meaningfully significant to the people of Sabah as the guarantees were made with the full determination to defend our way of life.
“This guarantee is to be respected. If not, it will create a sense of dissatisfaction and consequently cause disunity among our people,” Kurup stressed.
Present at the ceremony was Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister, Datuk Ellron Alfred Angin.