Work to relocate the Oath Stone will be carried out in April after the new site is cleared and ready.
According to the Tourism and Culture ministry, the new site for the Oath Stone is being finalised. (Blogspot pic)
KOTA KINABALU: The design for the new site of the Batu Sumpah, or Oath Stone, in Sabah is being finalised.
Responding to a recent claim by Parti Solidariti Tanahairku (Star) president Jeffrey Kitingan that the government’s pledge for the oath stone was not honoured, the federal tourism and culture ministry said work on its relocation will take place in April.
“According to the ministry, the design for the new site of the Oath Stone is being finalised.
“Work to relocate the Oath Stone will be carried out in April after the new site is cleared and ready.
“This project is expected to be completed early next year,” said a statement, distributed by the press office of the Sabah Chief Minister’s Department.
The two-tonne, 53-year-old monolith sits in the interior district of Keningau.
It is seen as a symbol of Sabah’s rights. The conditions set by the natives in Sabah to accept the formation of Malaysia in 1963 have been enscribed on the stone.
Jeffrey had reportedly demanded to know what happened to the federal government’s pledge to relocate the Oath Stone and reinstate the missing words, “Kerajaan Malaysia Jamin” (The Government of Malaysia Guarantees), on it.
He said federal Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Aziz promised two years ago to relocate the Oath Stone from the Keningau district office to a parcel of land near the Heritage Museum.
An allocation of RM1 million was approved by the federal government for this purpose, it was reported.
“It seems that the federal government is not serious and not committed to moving the Oath Stone although it had made a promise and announced the fund,” he was quoted as saying by the Daily Express last Friday.
He said based on his observation, no work has even started to relocate the Oath Stone which was erected on Aug 31, 1964, guaranteeing the rights of Sabah natives in the federation of Malaysia.
The Oath Stone serves as a reminder to the federal government of its obligation to honour the key aspects of the 20-Point agreement made before the formation of Malaysia in 1963.
Three conditions are written on the stone, namely that there is to be freedom of religion, that the Sabah government has full powers on matters related to its land, and that Sabah traditions and cultures must be respected and preserved by the government.
Both sides of the political divide have affirmed the need to honour the obligations spelt out on the Oath Stone.
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