Heirs of sultan urge Sulu folk to regain Sabah peacefully

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – The heirs of the sultanate of Sulu have called on the people of Sulu to regain Sabah through peaceful means.

At a rally in Jolo, Habib Mujahab Hashim, council of royal sharifs (religious and property custodians) chairman, urged the people Sulu to mobilize their resources and bring Malaysia to the negotiating table.

“In calling for the end to the Sabah crisis, we believe that it is morally and spiritually wrong for two Islamic nations – Malaysia and the sultanate – to sacrifice human lives for the sake of a cause which can be addressed peacefully,” he said.

Hashim said the sovereignty rights of the sultanate of Sulu must be settled before a neutral body like the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

A peaceful resolution is primarily founded on the Islamic teaching of peaceful settlement of conflicts and differences among the adherents of Islam, he added.

Hashim said they strongly believe that the sultanate of Sulu has the legitimate, legal and historical rights to assert sovereignty over Sabah.

“This sovereignty right over Sabah has been recognized for long by great nations of the world at that time, but only recently has the sovereignty of the sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo been questioned, denied and stolen from us before our eyes,” he said.

Hashim said the lease contract to Sabah was translated into English from Tausug as grant and cession.

In 1946, the British North Borneo Company illegally transferred and ceded Sabah to the British Crown, he added.

Hashim said the British Crown then illegally annexed Sabah  and made it a dominion.

In 1963, the British Crown illegally passed on Sabah to the Federation of Malaya after an illegal plebiscite without the consent of the sultanate of Sulu, he added.

MNLF fighters land in Sabah

Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) fighters numbering 1,000 have landed in Sabah to reinforce the sultanate’s forces in Lahad Datu.

Abraham Idjirani, sultanate spokesman, said Agbimuddin Kiram, commander of the forces in Lahad Datu, confirmed to him the arrival of the MNLF fighters.

The volunteers are already in Sabah although they have not yet joined Agbimuddin’s forces, he said.

Idjirani said the fully-armed MNLF fighters are carrying anti-tank weapons.

Agbimuddin’s men remain mobile and continue to evade Malaysian security forces, he added.

“They have taken positions away from Kampung Tanduo and Tanjung Batu,” Idjirani said.

Hajib Mujaha Hashim, MNLF Islamic Command Council chairman, said the MNLF fighters are seasoned guerillas.

“They are experienced in guerilla warfare,” he said.

“They are there not officially as MNLF, but we could not prevent MNLF forces from going there and reinforcing the royal army of the sultanate of Sulu in the area.”

Idjirani said he expects clashes between the sultanate’s forces and Malaysian security forces to resume soon following the arrival of MNLF reinforcements.

“At the moment, the Malaysians are very busy with their upcoming election and do not want to disturb Sabah where there are more than 600,000 Bangsa Suluk residents and voters,” he said.

Idjirani said the Bangsa Suluks in Sabah have kept strong ties with the people of Sulu.

“Prime Minister Najib (Razak) is afraid of offending them,” he said. “It might cost him votes.”

A Tausug leader in Sulu said almost daily, Tausug fighters have been landing in batches in Sabah from Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and Basilan.

“I don’t have the exact figure, but Tausug fighters have made it through Sabah and have already linked up” with the sultanate’s forces, he said. – Roel Pareño, Mike Frialde, Jaime Laude