Spiritual importance: Ewon pouring water on the Keningau Oath Stone during an event last month.
KOTA KINABALU: A ceremony at a sacred monument in Sabah has sparked outrage among indigenous groups, who see it as a spiritual transgression with dire consequences.
To them, the ritual conducted by Sabah Pakatan Harapan on Jan 25 at the Keningau Oath Stone disrupted the spiritual balance, contributing to the severe floods over the past three days that displaced hundreds and forced evacuations to relief centres in Keningau, an interior district about 110km away.
The indigenous community feel that the ceremony was reminiscent of how Mount Kinabalu was disrespected in 2015 by foreigners who posed nude on the summit, leading to an earthquake there less than a week later.
For Sabah Pakatan, however, the ceremony was purely symbolic, meant to reflect on Malaysia’s formation. Its chairman, Datuk Ewon Benedick, attended the event, where water was poured over the stone and four doves were released.
While outsiders may dismiss the controversy as mere superstition, local beliefs in spirits – and the consequences of angering them – run deep.
Furthermore, the Oath Stone which was unveiled on Aug 31, 1964, is one of Sabah’s most consequential monuments.
It commemorates the conditions under which the state joined Malaysia in 1963, symbolising federal guarantees to uphold Sabah’s rights, particularly in religious freedom, native customs and traditions and land rights.
Regarded as a symbol of indigenous sovereignty, the monument holds deep political and spiritual significance.
Defenders of Ancestral Lands Tambunan president Andrew Ambrose Mudi said the Jan 25 act had disrespected traditions, angering the spirits and triggering the floods.
Mudi and two groups – the Dayak Ritual Authentic Fellowship and the Alliance of Sabah Sarawak Indigenous Peoples Organisation – have lodged a police report.
They have also urged the Keningau Native Court to intervene, saying that the ceremony was a violation of indigenous customs.
“Acts of disrespect can invoke nature’s wrath,” said Mudi in a statement on Friday, referencing the June 5, 2015 earthquake, which some linked to a breach of sacred customs on Mount Kinabalu.
“These reports and legal actions are not about retribution but restoration, restoring balance with nature, honouring our sacred spaces and ensuring our cultural practices are respected,” said Mudi, urging respect for the Keningau Oath Stone.
In response to the backlash, Sabah Pakatan leaders explained that their visit was a symbolic tribute rather than a ritual.
Pensiangan PKR branch chief Raymond Ahuar, who also lodged a counter police report on Friday, said the water pouring was a gesture to represent life and the continuation of Sabah’s rights, while the release of doves symbolised freedom.
“The programme had approval from the Keningau District Office and Heritage Museum. There was no violation of law or customs,” he said in a statement yesterday.
“Some parties are misleading the public by linking rainfall and floods to the act of pouring water on the Oath Stone, despite weather forecasts having already predicted heavy rain before the event took place.”
However, Sabah DAP vice-chairman Jannie Lasimbang apologised to the bobohizan (traditional priestess) and ketua adat (customary leader) if their ceremony had caused offence.
She said that they were committed to respecting adat (traditions) and dignity.
In 2023 during a “History @ Sabah Museum” event, Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan was quoted as saying that the construction of the Oath Stone was carried out “according to the customs of the natives in the interior who believe that the monument has a spirit that needs to be protected to avoid disasters”.
When it was relocated from the old Keningau district office compound to the Keningau Heritage Museum in 2018, it was done in a ceremony steeped in Kadazandusun and Murut customs.
