Kota Kinabalu: “An oath, once taken, must be honoured to maintain peace, social order and body-mind-spirit equilibrium” said Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, when told that the Batu Sumpah is set to become a National Heritage with the reinstatement of the key words "Kerajaan Malaysia Jamin" on it as announced by the federal Tourism Ministry.
Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, the STAR Sabah Chief and Bingkor Assemblyman was pleased with the latest development and hoped that the announcement would be implemented expeditiously without any further delay.
"That (national heritage status of Batu Sumpah and it's restoration) is good but it would be great if, along with it, the autonomy and special rights of Sabah and Sarawak were fully restored as per the 20-Points conditions, the IGC recommendations and Article 8 of the Malysia Agreement 1963" he said.
"…. but as you can see and discern today, the Malaysian federation is heading for big trouble with its key components quietly pulling into different directions because these pledges, assurances and promises were dishonoured...." added Dr. Jeffrey.
One wonders “What will further happen to Malaysia and its leaders if the Oath Stone continues to be disrespected and its promises unfulfilled?”
Dr Jeffrey, who received the “mysteriously lost or replaced” original plaque from a villager last year, hopes that there would be a fitting monument to house the Batu Sumpah as a national heritage enriched with the history of the process of the formation of Malaysia and literatures of the Batu Sumpah and the history of the formation of Malaysia as a federation between the Federation of Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore, which was ousted in 1965.
The Batu Sumpah as a national heritage and constitutional document belongs to the people and should be accessible to all irrespective of their background and no one should be prevented from accessing it be it by the governments of the federation or Sabah or their chief executives or any local authority especially on the historical Malaysia Day.
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