How do you solve a problem like Sabah!

I lay no claim that I am an expert in history.  But the silence of P-Noy on the Sabah issue is quite deafening that it has awakened my curiosity.  I wonder what top government secret there is – if any. The public who is also alarmed about the sudden turn of events is dying to know what is happening?

 I will not attempt to discuss the Sabah issue nor give an opinion to it because I don’t have a clear idea what the real score is behind the issue.  But in my thirst to seek the truth, I read about the matter and came across a simple and easy to understand timeline on the Sabah conflict that may help us understand what is going on and how the current situation came to be. 

History has it that in the 1640’s, the independence of the sultanates of Sulu and Maguindanao were recognized by a treaty transacted by the Spaniards. The Sultan of Sulu became the sovereign ruler of most of Sabah, then known as North Borneo. From 1894 to 1936, Sultan Jamalul Kiram II, from whom Sultan Jamalul Kiram III is a descendant, ruled the Sultanate of Sulu.

It was during his rule that Spain surrendered the Philippines to the United States through the Treaty of Paris in 1898. The treaty lines did not include Sabah. In 1915, the governor of Mindanao Frank Carpenter and the Sulu sultan signed an agreement relinquishing the Sultanate’s temporal sovereignty, tax collection and arbitration laws in Sulu. The Sultan agreed to receive an allowance, a piece of land and gave up his political power to become a religious leader.

When Sultan Jamalul Kiram II died in June 11, 1936, his brother, Sultan Muwallil Wasit took over but unfortunately died before he was even crowned. In 1957, Filipino Muslims urged then President Ramon Magsaysay to ask the British, which had annexed North Borneo as a crown colony, for the return of Sabah to the Philippines. However, Magsaysay did not act on the claim. It was President Diosdado Macapagal who initiated the filing of the Philippine claim on Sabah in 1961. The following year, Vice-President Emmanuel Pelaez raised the issue to the US, addressing the General Assembly and asking help in effecting a peaceful resolution.

In August 4, 1977, Marcos announced that the Philippines was giving up its claim on Sabah in order to eliminate the burdens of the ASEAN. But the accord that would put this in writing was not signed because Malaysia wanted legislative amendments, particularly on the constitutional provision on “territories belonging to the Philippines by historic right or legal title.”

In November 1982, Malaysia said, “The Philippines has not taken all the necessary steps to delete a clause in its Constitution laying claim to Sabah.” In 1987, President Corazon Aquino suggested that personal claimants to Sabah organize themselves and arrive at a common position.

The Malaysian government was said to have given assurance that it was ready and willing to negotiate with the heirs of the Sultan of Sulu in order to settle the matter. The heirs met Mrs. Aquino in Malacañang except for Jamalul Kiram III.

In 1996, Princess Denchurain Kiram wrote to Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad of Malaysia asking him to increase the lease it pays to US$1M. She also said she was willing to renounce the claim if Malaysian Government provided a fair settlement. In 2001, Sultan Esmail Kiram II wrote to Prime Minister Mahathir, through President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, asking to increase the lease fee to $855 million a year.

In March 14, 2001, Malaysian authorities reportedly expressed willingness to buy Sabah for $800 million in a deal initiated by heirs of the Sultan of Sulu. In 2002, GMA assured the heirs of the Sultan of Sulu of protection. She also sent the letter asking for adjustment of rent to Sabah. The Sulu provincial government in August 10, 2008 told Malaysia to increase annual payment to Jamalul Kiram II to $500 million.

In August 20, 2008, Mrs. Arroyo issued “Guidelines on matters pertaining to North Borneo (Sabah)” which said that all official activity related to Sabah should have Department of Foreign Affairs clearance. In March 10, 2009, Arroyo signed RA 9522, amending RA 5546, which removes mention of Sabah or North Borneo in the Archipelagic baselines of the Philippine law. In July 16, 2011, the Supreme Court upheld the baseline law, noting that the Philippine claim over Sabah is retained and can be pursued.

When P-Noy became President, the Sultan wrote a letter asking the President to support the Sultanate in their claim of Sabah. Apparently all the three letters got lost in the “bureaucratic maze” and never got to the President.

In February 12, 2013, armed Filipinos landed in Sabah. In a television interview with Princess Jacel, daughter of Sultan Kiram III, she said that these people went to Lahad Datu with the intention to live there and not to wage war against anyone. But then things went out of hand.  And then the stand-off happened.   

This timeline will hopefully enlighten and help us understand the Sabah issue.  Given all the events that have transpired, the question is, do we keep the claim dormant or do we revive it? I would like to think that this is P-Noy’s chance to show that he has the guts to make a stand and change the course of things to benefit the Filipino people.  If not, he should help us see the light and redirect us to understand the truth behind this issue.

By the way the Board of Governors of the Philippine Ambassadors Foundation (PAFI) at its meeting last March 5, 2013, issued the following statement: “PAFI expresses its concern for the safety of Filipinos and loss of lives in Sabah, calls on the Malaysian Government and the Sultanate of Sulu to engage in a peaceful dialogue and exercise maximum restraint instead of use of force, and urges the Philippine Government and the Malaysian Government to resume talks, in accordance with the Manila Accord of 1963, to resolve the issue of the historic and legal right to Sabah of the Republic of the Philippines and the Sultanate of Sulu.”

We are just spectators to this standoff.  And as we watch the news, we are saddened by how the Malaysian government has suddenly turned cantankerous. What caused them to have such violent reaction to the situation?  To date there are fifty-two Filipinos and eight Malaysian policemen dead.   Maybe the Malaysian Embassy can give the public a statement to clarify their position so that we do not have to waste our time interpreting, suspecting, speculating, questioning and inquiring about this concern.

If Sabah belongs to the Sultanate of Sulu, I hope our government helps them get it back.  This will be an important piece of land for our country just like the Spratly Island.  I thank God that the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki- Moon has already interceded and called on both parties to settle their issues through peaceful dialogue as he urged all parties to also facilitate delivery of humanitarian assistance and to act in full respect of the international human rights norms and standards.