Batu Sumpah Keningau

Hari ini, pengkaji mendarat pula di Daerah Keningau cuba menyingkap sejarah 'Batu Sumpah Keningau'. Menurut Emin Madi (2012) :

This is Sabah's famous oath stone that carried the fascinating history of the former North Borneo's interior natives acceptance of joining the Malaysian Federation. The stone was a symbolic memorial that aptly displays the 'terms' under which the interior natives agreed to the formation of the federation. The terms displayed on the plaque, which was made by the Thornycraft Shipyard in Singapore, affixed to the stone mentioned three tenets :

1. Freedom of religion in Sabah
2. The government of Sabah holds authority over land in the state and native customs
3. Tradition must be respected and preserved by the government

In return, the people of the interior pledged their loyalty to the Malaysian Government. The rugged oath was previously in the compound of the Old Keningau District office near, the hotel. The man who played significant role in laying down the oath stone was the then Keningau District Officer, Richard Lin, the son of Mr. Theodore Adolphus Lind, who was a manager of the Sapong Rubber and Tobacco Estate Ltd in 1928-1930. According to Lind, the idea of the oath stone mainly to resolve the initial reluctance of the rural native chief's of Sabah to join the Malaysian Federation, simply because they left they would not be able to understand what was going to be written in the proposed Malaysian Federation constitution. Wars among the native tribes in the interior were historically resolved by diplomacy and the resolution was depicted by the planting of an oath stone symbolising the establishment of peace. The oath stone was unveiled on August 31, 1964, by federal Minister of Labour, Mr. V. Manickavasagam on behalf of Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman.

Rujukan :

Emin Madi (2012). Potiukan. Xlibris.