Time to Re-build ‘Batu Sumpah’ as National Monument

Kota Kinabalu: “The “BATU SUMPAH” or Oath Stone should be relocated and rebuilt as a National Monument as it is the only constitutional document in the whole of Malaysia erected specifically for the purpose instead of being relegated as a landscaping stone in front of the District Office” said Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, the Assemblyman for Bingkor where the Oath Stone is located.

“Every Malaysian and even tourists can visit this historical monument. It can be the pride of the whole nation”, he said.

Dr. Jeffrey, who was prevented from visiting the Oath Stone monument to commemorate Malaysia Day, regretted that the government have neglected this historical piece of constitutional document to the extent of changing key words in it.

With the raging debate over the prevention of Malaysians commemorating Malaysia Day at the Batu Sumpah monument and the missing key words, the time has come to re-build the “Batu Sumpah’ as a national historical monument.

The importance of the Batu Sumpah in the formation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963 is as significant at that of our beloved Tunku Abdul Rahman declaring independence of the Federation of Malaya on 31 August 1957. They separately signify the birth of two separate and distinct nations.

If not for the 20-Points and the mutual promises etched in the Batu Sumpah monument, there would have been no nation known as the Federation of Malaysia in existence on the world map today.

Therefore, it is only appropriate that a national monument be built to house the Batu Sumpah monument together with artefacts of history associated with the formation of Malaysia.

And it only appropriate that the Batu Sumpah national monument be built in Bingkor, home of one of the key founding fathers of Sabah and Malaysia where the original Batu Sumpah was sited.

“I will be writing to the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister of Sabah for this Batu Sumpah monument to be funded and implemented” said Dr. Jeffrey.

I am confident that Chief Minister Musa will be supporting this Batu Sumpah national monument in Bingkor as he is also part of the family in Bingkor that were associated with the founding fathers of Sabah and Malaysia.