March 3, 2013
Malaysia's Territorial Integrity as good as Sovereignty is NON-NEGOTIABLE
by Bunn Nagara @http://www.thestar.com,my
After Sabah's deadlock is resolved, the intruders will need to reconcile with complicated realities.
IT is as good easy to boot the Lahad Datu deadlock as standard of Sabah's labyrinthine intrigue. That would trivialise the abounding story as good as cultural farrago of the state, besides mistaking the mostly Philippine problem as being Sabah's.
True, anywhere else in Malaysia with the significant Tausug population deriving from the former Sulu Sultanate's diaspora, similar to the Klang Valley, would be doubtful to experience the play of the past couple of weeks.
But none of the events in Kampung Tanduo, nearby Lahad Datu in eastern Sabah, was predicted or inevitable. The former Sultanate assigned usually the small apportionment of Philippine domain as good as an even not as big apportionment of Sabah's.
And yet, the peculiar multiple of north-eastern Borneo's demography, geography, story as good as political birthright provides the probable backdrop to usually such the standoff. How did it all begin this time?
On February 9, scarcely 100 Philippine nationals, several of them armed, arrive! d by boa t to stick on the not as big group which had arrived earlier. They took over the village, claiming the area belonged to the Sultanate which they pronounced they represented.
They additionally demanded approval as the Royal Sulu Sultanate Army, as good as the assembly with an unnamed Malaysian leader. Malaysian authorities deserted both demands.
They further pronounced they had come in await of Sabah's Tausug population, alleging reports which following the Royal Commission of Inquiry in to Sabah's bootleg immigrant communities, Tausugs would be deported.
Many locals would be astounded by the claim. Sabahan-Malaysian Tausugs, who cite to be called Suluks, have prolonged settled absolutely in between Sabah's 3 dozen or so racial groups.
Filipino Tausugs who arrived after as migrant workers, clinging some-more closely to their "Tausug" roots, may face the opposite reality. But racial harm hardly if ever surfaces in Sabah because of, not despite, the abounding cultural diversity.
The annual franchise remuneration of RM5,300 concluded in 1903, increasing from RM5,000 concluded in 1878, was additionally pronounced to be insufficient. Others pronounced the domain should be returned to the late Sultan's descendants anyway.
Although British as good as Sulu versions of the 1878 agreement differed slightly, the Sulu chronicle was transparent enough: " hereby franchise of our own free will as good as satisfaction all the territories as good as lands forever as good as until the finish of time, all rights as good as powers which we retain over all territories as good as lands run to us "
Both the Philippines as good as Malaysia would rather do though such disturbances which offer usually as irritants to shared relations. As complicated commonwealth states, both countries have developed good past an archaic sultanate.
But there have been additionally differences.For Malaysia, the sovereignty as good as territorial claims of the former Sultan's descendan! ts have been simply unacceptable. No such claims have been negotiable.
The claimants argue which the sultanate's domain had been leased usually to Britain, with no agreement on union in to Malaysia. But their box is inconsistent.
Sabah, the former North Borneo, became the British protectorate from the late 19th century until it became the climax colony. It gained the brief period of autonomy prior to apropos partial of the Malaysian Federation in 1963.
By then, the Cobbold Commission (above) had dynamic which the infancy of people in Sabah as good as Sarawak favoured the formation of Malaysia. For the century the former Sultan's descendants did not retake territory, though instead concluded to continue appropriation the franchise remuneration underneath the previous arrangements.
The Philippine government, which subsumed the sultanate's management in the four provinces of Mindanao, additionally took over the purpose of dire the explain to Sabah. Despite being the commonwealth which had abandoned all stately authority, Manila one after an additional with the explain before, during as good as after Malaysia's formation.
Although the Philippine explain has given turn asleep if not extinct, Manila found it formidable to forgo it. It has turn an object of nationalists fervent to strike populist postures in done at home Philippine politics.
The emanate has the opposite turn in between the Moro or Philippine Muslim community in Mindanao, of which Tausugs have been the part. Despite Malaysia's key purpose in peace talks in between the du! al main Moro separatist groups as good as the Philippine government, both groups have been not indispensably in Malaysia's corner.
The MILF (Moro Islamist Liberation Front) disagreed with the takeover of Kampung Tanduo, saying negotiations should have been the way. This poorly presumed which the emanate was debatable for Malaysia.
The MNLF (Moro National Liberation Front) is an even some-more eager supporter of the armed intruders. But it should be some-more aware of the implications involved.
Since the former sultanate lonesome the Philippine provinces of Basilan, Palawan, Sulu as good as Tawi-Tawi in the ARMM (Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao), as good as usually an eastern partial of Sabah, followers of the former Sultan should initial solve differences of territorial management with the MNLF as good as the MILF prior to venturing in to Sabah. They should additionally solve differences with Manila over such issues as hegemony, appropriation as good as compensation.
Both the Philippines as good as Malaysia, as emperor states which had subsumed as good as developed beyond the Sulu Sultanate, have successfully concluded assorted agreements bilaterally as good as multilaterally. Those agreements endorse mutual acceptance of their respective statehood in their present configuration.
Besides, the former Sultan as good as his descendants had consented to the terms of the agreement in lapse for the franchise payment. So prolonged as remuneration is still made, they have been thankful to continue abiding by the agreement.
That would have any unilateral attempt to retake domain by force of arms bootleg as good as unjustified. Whether Malaysia will seek to prosecute after the resolution of the deadlock is an additional matter.
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