KOTA KINABALU, Sept 18 ― The erasure of three words professing the federal government’s “guarantees” to Sabah from the Keningau oath stone has caused uproar among state leaders now demanding it be restored to its original wordings.

It is unclear when the alterations occurred, but previous photographs of the historical stone showed that it once contained the words “Kerajaan Malaysia Jamin” (Malaysian Government guarantees)” that are now missing from before the three-point declaration.

Deputy Chief Minister and Keningau MP Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan said that the desecration of the oath stone was disrespectful and should be rectified immediately.

“I do not know who did it or if it was done on purpose, but the people responsible should confess. It is not right to deface public property, much less something of such significant value.

“A heritage like this cannot be altered or tampered with. It is considered sacred and important to the people because of the ritual ceremony that was performed with it and carried the people’s aspirations during that time. Such a heritage should be maintained,” he said.

Pairin said that he will contact the district office, where the oath stone is located and ask for an explanation and for its restoration.

“It’s simple, just put it (the words) back,” he said.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Joseph Kurup also said the missing words must  be re-inscribed to restore confidence and good faith of the natives who initially had reservations on the formation of Malaysia.

The de facto national unity minister said he would forward a request to the relevant authorities to ensure the words on the stone were restored to its original phrasing.

“The oath stone is a symbol of unity, freedom and peace in the country. I hope that the history of this stone will be included in the history of the country and should be incorporated into history books and taught to the younger generations so they would know how the country was formed on September 16, 1963.

The stone was erected on August 31, 1964 ― exactly a year after Sabah achieved self-government status, to signify the Malayan Government’s vow to the natives.

The three-point declaration addressed the main concerns of the people at the time ― the right to religious freedom, land rights and the safeguarding of the native customs and traditions.

It was also literally cast in stone in a ceremonial ritual as was the custom then.

Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said that authorities must find out whether the words were intentionally removed or if they simply faded due to exposure to the elements.

“I think we should get to the bottom of this ― why it was missing and take it from there,” he said when contacted.

Separately, Sabah Star Reform party leader Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan alleged that the removal of the words was reflective of the insincerity and ill intent of the government.

“By removing the key words, the government of Malaysia can now say that they do not guarantee that religious freedom; forest and that natural resources belongs to Sabah and the safeguarding of native customs, ‘adat’ and traditions.

“If the government can simply remove the key words in the oath stone, they can change anything and change the facts of history as and when they like and not honour the Malaysia Agreement and the terms of the formation of Malaysia,” he said.

Yesterday, DAP secretary Edwin Bosi had filed a police report in Penampang on the tampering of the stone’s text, asking police to investigate and identify the individual or individuals behind it.

Bosi who is Kapayan Assemblyman said he noticed the discrepancy during one of his visits to the oath stone when he noticed that the wordings were not the same as that of the original oath stone.

The oath stone is a central part of a DAP campaign to remind Sabah natives of the promises made to them during the 1963 formation of Malaysia.