THE historic Keningau oath stone, a monument to guarantee Sabahans their rights when the Federation of Malaysia was formed in 1963, will get its permanent home this Sunday.

It will be placed on the grounds of the Keningau Museum, just outside the state capital Kota Kinabalu.

However, the installation ceremony will not be attended by any Sabah ministers, despite a poster shared on the Whatsapp messaging service saying that the event will be attended by Sabah Deputy Chief Minister and state Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Christina Liew.

Her aide told The Malaysian Insight that the minister would not be able to attend Sunday’s event, scheduled for 9am, as she had a prior engagement.

“The invitation came from the Sabah Museum Department yesterday. It’s very last minute. The minister has to attend a party function that day.

“She will be sending her political secretary Raymond Ahuar on her behalf,” the aide told The Malaysian Insight.

Sabah Chief Minister Shafie Apdal is also not expected to attend as he would be in Peninsular Malaysia.

The installation of the oath stone is quite special as it will involve the “maningolig” ritual with an animal sacrifice by a bobolian (traditional priest) on the belief that this will bind the guarantees to Sabahans.

The relocation plan was set in motion in February 2016 by then Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz, who a year later announced a RM1 million allocation, plus an additional RM25,000 to conduct the relocation ritual.

The Keningau Oath Stone is the only such historical document set in stone ensuring guarantees to Sabahans.  

The original inscription is as follows:

The Government of Malaysia guarantees

1. Freedom of religion in Sabah

2. The government of Sabah holds authority over land in Sabah

3. Native customs and traditions will be respected and upheld by the government

In return, the people of Sabah’s interior pledge loyalty to the government of Malaysia.

The oath stone made local headlines in 2014 when three crucial words - “government of Malaysia guarantees” (kerajaan Malaysia jamin) - were found missing from the plaque. This triggered a political controversy.

The original plaque was found a year later by a villager in Keningau, who handed the item over to Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku President Jeffrey Kitingan.

The issue has been used by Sabah politicians to gain support, especially from voters in the interior division, which eventually led to the “Sabah for Sabahans” sentiment and a big win for Parti Warisan Sabah in the 14th General Election.

The Keningau Oath Stone was unveiled on August 31, 1964 at the compound of the old Keningau District Office by the state’s first chief minister Donald Stephens. – September 7, 2018.