The STAR Sabah Chief said the internal security problems and international issues facing Sabah including the claim on Sabah by the Philippines or Sulu which had culminated into the Lahad Datu bloodbath require a long-term diplomatic and political solution, not a military one.
"The persistent longstanding Sabah claim by Manila and Sulu and the military altercation in Lahad Datu have clearly demonstrated that Sabah is not safe," he said. "This insecurity is against the promise of security to us before the formation of Malaysia."
"In addition, the armed intrusion can be attributed directly to the Umno/BN government which had helped, supported, armed and trained the armed insurgency in Southern Philippines and the wanton issuance of ICs to foreigners for the purpose of increasing Umno's vote bank to ensure its victory in the general elections.
"After gaining a foothold in Sabah, Umno, in cahoots with the Elections Commission, started gerrymandering with electoral boundaries to fully benefit from its new-found members and voters. Is it a wonder that now Umno callsSabah its fixed deposit?
"Worst was to come for Sabah. After baiting BN component leaders with the rotation of CM system, Umno started its devious and crafty takeover of Sabah. Sabah is now internally colonized which is against all hopes and aspirations of a nation that gained independence on 31 August 1963 before forming Malaysia 16 days later."
"As a result, Sabahhas been losing and losing and will continue to lose unless there is a change of the Umno/BN government. On the other hand, the claim on Sabah by the Philippines and Sulu (which has about 15 sultans and Sabah claimants) is not going to go away by merely ignoring it. It's time Malaysia and Sabah address the claim and find a long-term solution. The aggressive involvement of the United Nations will help us solve many outstanding problems.
"Firstly, the UN can help allay the strong sense of insecurity which is not just due to the failure of the government and security forces but also due to the internal security problems caused by the presence of 800,000 immigrants. Secondly, the presence of an UN security force in Sabah will bolster not only the confidence of Sabahans who have low confidence in their own security forces, but will also allay our fear of Filipinos and clarify the accusations of violence by Malaysian forces against Filipinos in Sabah.
"Thirdly, the alleged claims on Sabah has become an irritating international issue which can begin to be resolved with the presence of UN mediators. Fourthly, with bona fide Sabahans will have a role to play in determining the future of Sabah. Sabahans cannot leave the future of Sabah in the hands of the Umno-dominated Malaysian government alone.
"Last but not least, the involvement of the United Nations will allow Sabahans to re-visit the Malaysia Agreement which was signed, including by the British government, under the auspices of the United Nations, the 20-Points and the Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) Report. Perhaps, the IGC could be re-activated under the purview of the United Nations which could look into the grievances and plight of the Sabahans in Malaysia.
"Whatever the final outcome, the future of Sabah and its status is the primary decision of Sabahans and no one else and certainly not the Umno/Malaya Barisan Government who have forfeited their rights not due to their failure to keep Sabah save but by their direct actions in causing the present insecurity. They do not deserve the trust of Sabahans anymore.
“Now that the UN Secretary-General has given his view, it will be interesting to see how the Malaysian government is going to respond. The ball is now at Najib’s feet” Dr. Jeffrey added.
“SELAMATKAN SABAH TANAH AIRKU”
Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, Chairman of STAR Sabah
PBB dah iktiraf Sabah sebahagian dari Malaysia
ReplyDeletekesultanan Sulu tak diiktiraf
ReplyDeleteThree members of the Malaysian security forces, who were injured in Ops Daulat during a gun battle with Sulu terrorists in Lahad Datu, were reported to be in stable condition.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteSabah Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Peter Pang En Yin who visited the three injured security forces at the Duchess of Kent Hospital, here on Wednesday, said people should continue to give their full support to the Government under the leadership of the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in handling the terrorist crisis.
ReplyDelete"We pray for the best to the families of fallen security forces in the course of protecting the nation's sovereignty from Sulu militant intruders," he said.
ReplyDeleteIn a shootout between 8pm and 4am on Saturday, two members of the general operations force from Miri, Lance Corporal Mohd Zariman Ibrahim and Corporal Affendi Rusli were injured in the leg while Corporal Khairul Anuar Md Isa of the 7th Batallion of Royal Malay Regiment in Kukusan Camp, Tawau was injured in a gun battle at Sungai Nyamuk, Lahad Datu.
ReplyDeleteSince March 1, 10 security forces have been killed, including two soldiers in the shootout between security forces and terrorists in Lahad Datu and Semporna.
It is going to be a futile effort by any individual or group to stake claim on Sabah, former foreign minister Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar.
ReplyDelete"No individual, group or country can claim Sabah. The world has recognised Sabah as part of Malaysia," he added.
ReplyDeleteSyed Hamid, who is also a former home minister, said history had shown that the Sultan of Sulu had surrendered his right on Sabah.
ReplyDeleteAs such, the invasion by the Sulu terrorists in Lahad Datu was a vain attempt.
Syed Hamid said that while he was foreign minister, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), in deciding that the sovereignty over the islands of Ligatan and Sipadan belonged to Malaysia, had rejected the Philippines' claim intervention in the matter.
ReplyDelete"At that time, there was an overlapping claim by Malaysia and Indonesia over Sipadan and Ligatan which are in Sabah waters. The Philippines also tried to make a claim.
ReplyDelete"If the Philippines has grounds to make the claim, the ICJ would have allowed it to be a third party in the claim on Sipadan and Ligatan between Malaysia and Indonesia," he told.
He said Sabah's presence in Malaysia should no longer be questioned and that the cession payment of RM5,300 a year to the heir of the Sulu Sultanate was not a lease payment.
ReplyDeleteOn an assumption that the intrusion issue would not be easy to resolve because of the presence of the large Sulu community in Sabah, Syed Hamid said that was true.
ReplyDelete"Many countries have citizens with origins from other countries. The United States of America, for example, has many citizens who are German and Polish descent.
ReplyDelete"The question of where we come from is no longer an issue. The loyalty of the Sulu community in Sabah should no longer be questioned because they are now citizens of Malaysia," he added.
ReplyDeleteOn the intrusion by the Sulu terrorists, Syed Hamid, who is now the Public Land Transport Commission chairman, said they could have been influenced by certain quarters.
ReplyDelete"The government should investigate this. There might be quarters responsible for instigating them that they are bold enough to come and create violence in Sabah," he added.
ReplyDelete