Followers of my blog are wondering why I have not
said a word about the current sad situation, although I will not call it a meaningless
confrontation in Sabah. What is pointless is the loss of lives that was
absolutely unnecessary. It was a war of choice that they could have walked away
from once they made their point. Sultan Kiram III is not only a friend, a
neighbor, and a tennis partner, but his daughter was also my son’s classmate in elementary and High School. I wish him well. I hope something positive comes out of
this.
MY PERSONAL TAKE:
People who want to stay in the news, most likely political opponents of P-Noy, are blaming the government for not sending in the Philippine Marines. It is perhaps what the
Royal Army of the Sultan expected the government to do, but we are a government
of sensible men. There is nothing here that I could say which has not already been
said about the legality of the Sultan’s claim.
Let us be real:
1) Owning a property in another country does not transfer
ownership to one’s own country.
2) 1963 is not really that far back in time. When
the British granted Independence to Malaysia in 1963, Singapore opted to stay out of the federation. That was the right time for the heirs
of the sultanate of Sulu (with the help of the Philippine government) to stake
its claim. Although some accommodation could have been made, I haven’t found any evidence that a claim was made to Britain during that time. Can you blame Malaysia
now?
3) Sabah was never a part of an Independent
Philippine Republic.
4) When the USA granted the Philippines its independence in 1945, the sultan of Sulu could have given the USA/Philippines (in writing) the rights to its properties in Sabah, which was at the time a colony of the British
Empire. It was the end of World War II, and given the good relations between the USA and Britain, not to mention having fought side by side with the Filipino Guerrillas,
Sabah could have really been included in the newly independent Philippine
Republic. Sayang na Sayang…
5) Sabah may have been a part of the Sultanate of
Sulu, but the Sultanate of Sulu is not the Republic of the Philippines.
6) The best that the heirs of the Sultan of Sulu
can do is demand recognition of their rights from the government of Malaysia. I
think the government of Malaysia will offer them dual citizenship, which is not unusual; in fact, Malaysia allows them to come and go as they please. Some of
them are permanently living in Sabah. When Malaysia’s spokesperson was asked by
Al Jazeera on “Inside Story” why the Malaysian government allowed these armed
men to enter Sabah in the first place, the answer was: “We allowed them to come and go as they please for many, many years now.” That answer is a de facto recognition of their
rights to the land (out of Malaysia’s sense of good neighborliness). Close to a
million of them are living in Malaysia, so why rock the boat sailing on a sea of
tranquility? Beware of politicians...
NLK
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