The Oath Stone in Keningau

Besides reconnecting with Edward, my wedding car driver (Read here), another long-awaited item on my list was to visit the iconic Keningau Oath Stone.

The Oath Stone was formally unveiled on 31 August 1964 at the old Keningau District Office by the Federal Labour Minister, Tan Sri V. Manickavasagam, in the presence of key dignitaries including Chief Minister Fuad Stephens and G.S. Sundang. To solemnize the occasion, a maningolig ritual - conducted by a bobolian (traditional priest) - was performed.

The idea of the Oath Stone was born from early resistance among Sabah’s traditional leaders, the Orang Kaya-Kaya, who feared that the state’s rights might be eroded upon joining Malaysia. The stone thus became a physical and symbolic pledge between Sabah’s interior communities and the federal government: in exchange for loyalty to Malaysia, the government guaranteed to safeguard the state’s unique rights.

Its plaque, engraved in Malay script, declares three key assurances:

1. Freedom of religion in Sabah.
2. The Government of Sabah holds authority over land in Sabah.
3. Native customs and traditions will be respected and upheld by the Government.

Over time, the stone endured tampering - most controversially, the removal of the words “Kerajaan Malaysia Jamin” (“The Government of Malaysia guarantees”). This sparked public outrage, and in 2015, the original plaque was recovered. By 2018, the Oath Stone was relocated to the Keningau Heritage Museum, with its missing words restored, reestablishing it as an important heritage landmark.

After our meet-up with Edward, we drove to the Keningau Heritage Museum to see the Oath Stone in person - a silent witness to Sabah’s promises, struggles, and enduring identity. Standing there, I felt a quiet weight in the air, as if the stone still carried the voices of those leaders who once fought to ensure these rights. It wasn’t just a monument - it was a reminder that history lives on, not only in books and archives, but in the stones that have seen it all.

Proclamation Message by Tunku Abdul Rahman, 1st Prime
Minister of Malaysia on the formation of Malaysia in September 1963.

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Sadly, some of these declared assurances were eroded over the years. On religion, the original Sabah (North Borneo) Constitution did not declare a state religion. In fact, under Point 1 of the 20-Point Agreement, “there should be no State religion in North Borneo (now Sabah), and the provisions relating to Islam in the present Constitution of Malaya should not apply to North Borneo.”

However, this changed a decade later. In 1973, under the administration of Chief Minister Tun Mustapha Harun, the Sabah State Legislative Assembly passed an amendment to the State Constitution which declared that: “Islam is the religion of the State; but other religions may be practiced in peace and harmony in any part of the State.”

This shift - from a secular framework to having Islam as the official state religion - marked a significant departure from Sabah’s constitutional founding commitments.

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Sabah first Cabinet in 1963.
G.S Sundang was the Deputy Chief Minister cum Minister of Health.
He is seated in front row at right

G.S. Sundang, the Deputy Chief Minister cum Minister of Health in the First Cabinet of Sabah in 1963 was a prominent traditional chief and political leader in Sabah who played a key role in the events leading up to the creation of the Oath Stone. He co-founded the United Pasok Momogun Organisation (UPMO) in early 1962, following a split from United National Kadazan Organisation (UNKO), aiming to safeguard the interests of the Kadazan-Dusun-Murut communities.

Initially, he opposed the rushed formation of Malaysia, fearing that Sabah’s autonomy would be undermined. He even submitted a petition to the UN and later proceeded with a symbolic "ritual agreement" by proposing the Oath Stone as a solemn, binding promise.

Eventually, he participated in the delegation signing the Malaysia Agreement in London on 9 July 1963 and served in key political roles, including as Sabah's Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Health.

Culturally, Sundang was a staunch defender of ethnic identity. He resisted attempts to merge the Dusun and Kadazan under a single name, arguing that the Dusun people should maintain their distinct identity. However, in the late 1990s, this distinction was officially set aside when the Kadazandusun Cultural Association (KDCA), under the leadership of its president, Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan (also former Chief Minister of Sabah), adopted the combined term Kadazandusun. The move was intended to resolve the decades-long debate over whether Kadazan and Dusun were separate groups or part of a shared cultural-linguistic heritage.

By around 2000, Kadazandusun was formally recognized in official government usage, appearing in census categories and widely used in cultural celebrations, notably the Kaamatan Festival. While this unification achieved a sense of inclusivity for some, it also marked the closing of a chapter in Sundang’s vision for distinct ethnic preservation.