KOTA KINABALU: STAR Sabah chairman Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan accused Keningau District Officer (DO) Haji Yusof Haji Osman of trying to play politics to justify his refusal to open up the Oath Stone monument on Malaysia with excuses and lies.
“It may be better that he ask to be transferred out of Keningau to protect the good name of the Sabah civil service,” said Jeffrey in response to the explanation of Yusof that STAR Sabah had applied to hold the Malaysia Day commemoration service.
“If the District Officer wish to recall, I applied for permission as the State assemblyman for Bingkor and the request was not made under STAR Sabah party as alleged by the DO,” he stressed.
Jeffrey said it is only right that the commemoration service be held on Malaysia Day itself even if it is a public holiday. The DO’s excuse that it was a public holiday and the event cannot be held as such is absurd.
“If he still think this reason is right, then he should advise the federal and Sabah governments not to celebrate Merdeka since August 31 is a public holiday,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Jeffrey pointed out that the Oath Stone belongs to the people and it should be accessible to the public at all times. If properly organized, it can even be a tourist attraction the whole year round.
As for the wild allegations of damage to government properties, he said it is unwarranted and totally baseless.
He said each year for the past many years, his predecessors have allowed commemoration events to be held at the Oath Stone on Malaysia Day and no untoward incidents had happened before.
“I would have let the matter rest but felt compelled to respond to the DO to put the facts right as the public ought to be told the truth not some misplaced excuses,” added Jeffrey.
As for the official ceremony, he said it is up to the authorities but it would have been more appropriate if it had been held on Malaysia Day itself.
“If they think they are right, they might as well celebrate the Merdeka Day on January 1 or some other advance date other than the actual date,” he said.
As for the allegations and threats against Yusof, Jeffrey it is not right for the accusations and threats to be made as the missing key words were removed much earlier, before his tenure as DO.
In any event, since the Oath Stone monument is under his care and responsibility, the DO should take steps to investigate the matter and identify the culprits involved and to bring them before the law, added Jeffrey.
On Sunday, Yusof expressed regret over the wild allegations made against him over the removal of actual words from the Oath Stone plaque.
Describing the claims as overreaching and unnecessary, he told The Borneo Post that the people of Keningau needed to know the history and not make arbitrary accusations in relation to the Oath Stone.
Yusof said he had been accused of removing the actual words ‘Kerajaan Malaysia Jamin’ (Malaysian Government Guarantee), which were omitted since 1975, when the stone was removed from its original place.
He warned that ridicule and death threats under Section 506 of the Penal Code were punishable with a jail term of up to seven years or a fine, or both.
The DO also explained that the main entrance gates of government buildings were locked as a security measure on weekends and public holidays to safeguard documents and government property in the district secretariat area.
On the Oath Stone Memorial, he said that it happened to be in the yard of the District Secretariat and should be under the control of the museum.
He pointed out that the (government) policy does not allow any opposition parties to enter into the compound of government offices for rallies and special events which have never been allowed since time immemorial.
Jeffrey had sought to hold a ceremony on the Oath Stone on September 16 but Yusof said it was not approved for public holidays and the application was made under STAR Party, which is not encouraged to enter the compound of government buildings.