When the Federation of Malaya proposed to expand into a larger Malaysia in the early 1960s, incorporating the British territories of North Borneo, Sarawak, Singapore, and the protectorate of Brunei, the idea met resistance. In North Borneo, the traditional native chiefs known as the Orang Kaya-Kaya harbored deep apprehension about being absorbed into a distant federation dominated by Peninsular interests. Donald Stephens drafted a 20-point agreement spelling out the protections Sabah required, and the North Borneo Legislative Council agreed to accede to the Malaysia Agreement on 12 September 1962. But agreement on paper was not the same as trust. The interior communities wanted something they could touch, something that would stand as physical witness to the promises being made.

The District Officer of Keningau, Richard Lind, who would later become Sabah's State Secretary, was charged with overseeing the creation of the oath stone. Teams searched the surrounding rivers and hills, collecting boulders from areas including Bandukan, Bayayo, Dangulad, Senagang, Tuarid, and Ulu Liawan, but most were too fragile and broke easily. A suitable boulder was finally taken from the Pegalan River near Kampung Dangulad. Garukon Gurun, a former Sergeant Major of the North Borneo Constabulary, carved the stone. A brass plaque was commissioned from the Thornycroft Shipyard in Singapore and affixed to it. The inscription, written in pre-1972 Malay spelling, recorded three guarantees: freedom of religion in Sabah, state authority over land, and respect for native customs. In return, the people of Sabah's interior pledged loyalty to the Government of Malaysia.

For half a century the stone stood as a quiet landmark in Keningau. Then, during Malaysia Day celebrations on 16 September 2014, someone noticed the tampering. The phrase 'Kerajaan Malaysia Jamin' had been removed from below the title. Sabah's political leaders erupted. Joseph Pairin Kitingan expressed outrage. Jeffrey Kitingan demanded answers. In July 2015, a resident in Kampung Apin-Apin reportedly found the original plaque, though Sabah Museum Director Joanna Kitingan questioned its authenticity. The federal government allocated RM1.025 million for restoration and relocation, but delays stretched on, provoking accusations that Kuala Lumpur lacked the will to honor its original commitments.

In September 2018, the Oath Stone was finally relocated to the grounds of the Keningau Heritage Museum with the three missing words restored. The journey from river boulder to political flashpoint and back to honored monument had taken more than fifty years. The stone remains a living document in Sabah politics, invoked whenever the relationship between the state and the federal government comes under strain. Its inscription is not merely historical. It is a contract, carved in stone because the people who demanded it understood that paper promises could be filed away and forgotten. A boulder from the Pegalan River, they wagered, would be harder to ignore. They were right.