KOTA KINABALU: The iconic 30m-tall keris in the city, which “mysteriously” disappeared, was removed by the state government for safety reasons.
According to Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Masidi Manjun, the monument was found “rotting inside”.
“The inside was rotting and so the Public Works Department (PWD) decided to remove it for safety reasons,” he told reporters here after questions were raised over the missing monument, one of the state’s earliest “Malaysia Day” monuments erected in the late 1960s.
“Many people thought it was made of metal. No, it is not… I think it is probably made of carbon or a different type of biodegradable material.
“So PWD needs to repair it or build a new one,” said Masidi.
He, however, was unable to say whether the keris would be repaired and placed on the same spot.
He said that PWD would decide in due course.
The keris was taken down without any announcement. City dwellers who noticed it went missing from the busy junction leading to the airport and the city were puzzled: some believed it was removed while others thought it was stolen.
The monument was erected by former chief minister Mustapha Harun to mark the formation of Malaysia and also to commemorate the name change (from Jesselton to Kota Kinabalu).
The giant dagger that has been standing at the same spot for over 40 years has always been a subject of discussion among Sabahans. Some believe the keris would bring bad luck to the state as the blade was pointing skyward.
Standing next to the keris is a statue of the country’s first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman.
The state government recently put up another keris on the ground of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly.
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