KOTA KINABALU - Sabah’s Special Envoy to BIMP-Eaga, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia, called on the state government to come up with a referendum on the people’s stand towards any demands for the state, the Borneo Post reported.
BIMP-EAGA is an acronym for Brunei Darussalam–Indonesia–Malaysia–Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area, a cooperation initiative established in 1994 to spur development in remote and less developed areas in the four participating Southeast Asian countries.
“Sabahans must state their stand not to allow any parties to make any demands for the state. We do not want to get future surprises as a result of the claim by the alleged heirs of the Sulu sultanate,” the newspaper quoted him as saying.
It said Pandikar Amin, who was one of the speakers at the International Arbitration Colloquium 2023: National Immunity In Commercial Arbitration (Sabah Edition) here, stressed that the referendum must be led by the state government insisting (on the Philippine government) to put a stop to the claim on Sabah.
“Maybe this time they lost but they (claimants) will come up with new strategies to fight, they will never stop,” he said.
The United Sabah National Organization president also suggested that Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim hold a summit between the three countries that were involved in the Manila Accord and review the agreement. “We must show to the Philippine government that we have complied with the conditions of the Manila Accord and ask them why they are still making demands when they know that we do not agree with the issue,” he said.
Pandikar Amin said he was worried that if the issue cannot be addressed, war could break out between neighbouring countries. He felt that the Philippine government must not encourage the so-called heirs of the Sulu sultanate adding, “if they still want to support then the government must revive the Sulu sultanate (and) recognise the Sultan. They shouldn’t hide behind history.”
Pandikar Amin said the claim on Sabah was regional politics and had nothing to do with law.
“If I was the Prime Minister now I would knock on the door of Philippines president Ferdinand “Bongbong” Romualdez Marcos Jr., and tell him, we have been together in Asean, whatever happens we are together. Can you put aside these historical facts that when you make a claim to us and is it not embarrassing to you? I would appeal to his senses, not their political or rhetorical agenda,” he said.
When asked if it is time
for more details of Sabah’s history be included in history books for schools in
the country, Pandikar Amin said he supported the notion but stressed that it
should have been done soon after Sabah gained its independence. (Borneo Post)
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