KOTA KINABALU: A ritual conducted at the Keningau Oath Stone by Sabah Pakatan Harapan leaders on Jan 25 has sparked controversy, with indigenous rights groups claiming it disrupted the spiritual balance and contributed to recent floods.
The ceremony, led by Pakatan chairman Datuk Ewon Benedick, involved pouring water over the stone as a symbolic act reflecting on Malaysia’s formation. However, Defenders of Ancestral Lands Tambunan (Mopot) president Andrew Ambrose Mudi, known as Atama Katama, alleged it disrespected traditional customs, angering spirits.
The Oath Stone, unveiled on Aug 31, 1964, is a historical monument marking Sabah’s conditions for joining Malaysia, symbolising indigenous sovereignty and cultural heritage. Mudi and two indigenous groups have lodged a police report and urged the Keningau Native Court to intervene.
"Acts of disrespect can invoke nature’s wrath,” he said, citing the 2015 Mount Kinabalu earthquake, which some linked to tourists breaching sacred customs when they stripped naked on the summit.
He also called for a scientific study into the Oath Stone’s cultural significance and its potential nomination as a Unesco World Heritage Site.
In response, Sabah Pakatan clarified that the event was symbolic, with water representing life and doves symbolising freedom. Pensiangan PKR branch chief Raymond Ahuar dismissed claims linking the floods to the ritual, pointing to prior weather forecasts warning of heavy rain.
As of Saturday (Feb 8), 805 flood victims from 230 families in Beaufort, Kinabatangan, Keningau, and Tambunan were housed in relief centres. However, Keningau’s two shelters were set to close, allowing 132 displaced residents to return home.
