A misplaced signal from former President Benigno Aquino III resulted in the Malaysian government to stop paying the yearly rental of the disputed territory of Sabah since 2013 and, more importantly, the Sultanate of Sulu lost the Malaysian government’s recognition of its claim over the territory.
A top official of the Sultanate said yesterday Aquino’s “abandonment of the Sultanate of Sulu” in its pursuit of the claim led to the bloody siege of Lahad Datu.
Abraham Ijirani, Sultanate secretary general, told the Daily Tribune the yearly “lease” worth some 5,000 Malaysian ringgit or a little over P60,000 a year was paid since 1878, but the denomination for this had frequently changed over the years.
The lease payments were halted after the resolution of the siege of the Sultanate’s followers.
The British North Borneo Company and the Sultanate signed a contract allowing the British company to occupy Sabah in 1878.
Spark of standoff
Ijirani said when government abandoned its claim to the disputed territory, the Sultanate was left on its own.
“The Aquinos were anti-Sabah claim, so the Sultanate was left on its own resulting in the Lahad Datu standoff,” he said.
The standoff happened after the Sultanate sent armed followers to enforce the lease agreement.
He said the British colonial government has succeeded the company in maintaining Sabah until the forming of the Federation of Malaysia in 1963.
Ijirani said the Malaysian government continued with the payment until 2012.
In 2013, 200 armed men laid siege on Lahad Datu, a district in Sabah, which triggered a gun battle between Malaysian security forces and Tausug warriors. Some 100 were killed in the firefight.
Necessary move
“After the Lahad Datu incident, the Malaysian government stopped paying the yearly rental,” he said.
[the_ad_placement id=”content”]
Ijirani, however, expressed hope that President Rodrigo Duterte will revive the government claim to Sabah as a restitution to the Aquino policy.
After he assumed the presidency, Mr. Duterte announced at one press briefing that he would pursue the Philippines’ claim to Sabah.
“I’ll stick to our claim, what has been the policy of the government, especially those for the interest of the country. We have to stake our claim,” the President said.
Ijirani said the Sultanate has already elevated the Sabah claim to the United Nations in 2004, but the UN did not act on the case because it has to be endorsed by at least one member-country.
He said the Sultanate will pursue its proprietary claim to Sabah peacefully to avoid the repeat of the bloody Lahad Datu standoff.
“We are appealing to President Duterte to initiate the revival of the government’s claim to Sabah which he promised when he assumed the Presidency “ Ijirani said.
[the_ad_group id=”310″]
Alam niyo ba?
Year 2010 noong huling nagbayad ng renta ang bansang malaysia sa sultan ng sulu at sa pamilya Kiram…..
Pero nahinto ito dahil sa secret agenda ng Malaysia at ng pilipinas,,
KASUNOD NITO,,, LIBO LIBONG MGA PILIPINO ANG IDINEPORT NG MALAYSIA MULA SABAH PAPUNTANG ZAMBOANGA….
Kaya matatandaan natin na SINALAKAY NG MGA SUNDALO NG PAMILYA KIRAM ANG SABAH NOONG PANAHON NA AQUINO,,,
Dahil noong mga panahon ng British colonization sa Malaysia,,, sinakop din ng britania ang kapuluan ng Borneo na kung saan pinamumunoan ng sultan ng Brunie,,,,, umalis ang buong angkan ng sultan at nagtago sa Sulu.. Kinanlung sila ng pamilya Kiram hanggang sa nakabalik sila sa Brunie..
Bilang ganti ng sultan ng brunie,,,, ipinambayad nito ang buong Probinsya ng Sabah at pinatira dito ang libo libong mga tausog at mga pilipinong mula sa zamboanga peninsula at sulu…
Pero dahil sa kapangyarihan ng mga british royalties,, noong pinalaya nila ang malaysia ay asinama nila sa mapa ng malaysia ang kapuloan ng Borneo kung saan ito ay nasasakop ng kaharian ng brunie,,,,, kaya ito ang naging dahilan kung bakit ang sabah at ang buong lupain ng borneo ay sakop na ng malaysia ngayon..
(ctto) Bench Lou
netizens comments:
Yolanda Jimenez-Fernandez: Tanong ko lang, magkano kaya ang naging kabayaran ng Malaysian government sa Aquino government para i give up ang claim sa Sabbah?
Willy Paypon: The action of Aquino is a treachrous act against the Philippine government. Instead to claim back Sabah he ignored in favor to Malaysian.
source: tribune.net.ph
