Kota
Kinabalu: “Why
are the federal and Sabah governments preventing Malaysia Day commemoration at
the Batu Sumpah on Malaysia Day? It is
disappointing to see the police personnel turning out in full force with their
Black Marias reading to stop and arrest the people from performing their
commemoration rituals at the Batu Sumpah” said Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, who
with a large crowd of hundreds who were prevented from entering the Batu Sumpah
compound on Malaysia Day.
It was Sabahans in the Interior who had erected the
Batu Sumpah Oath Stone and pledged their loyalty to the Federation in return
for the assurance that the Federal Government will honour religious
freedom (no official religion), land,
forest and natural resources belongs to Sabah and the native customs, adat and
traditions will be safeguarded.
By preventing the commemoration ritual, both the
federal and Sabah governments are not recognizing Malaysia Day and dishonouring
the native customs, adat and traditions.
The governments did not erect the Batu Sumpah
monument and the Batu Sumpah does not belong to the government.
Indirectly, the federal and Sabah governments are
dishonouring and disregarding the basis of the formation of Malaysia. If not for the basis of the assurances and
guarantees as etched in the Batu Sumpah monument, Sabahans would not have
agreed to merge with Malaya, Sarawak and Singapore to form Malaysia in 1963.
With the show of force by the police and the actions
of the governments to dishonour Malaysia Day and disregard the basis of the
formation of Malaysia, Sabah leaders ought to take time out and ask themselves
whether there is any more basis for them to support the federal and Sabah
governments and for Sabah to continue to remain in the Federation.
Sabah does not belong to the federal government or
the Sabah BN government.
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