Sultan Sulu's heirs claim: Position of Sabah in Malaysia not affected, says Saifuddin

KUALA LUMPUR - The final award on the claim of heirs of the Sultan of Sulu issued in an arbitration proceeding in the Paris Arbitration Court in France does not affect the position of Sabah as a state of the Federation of Malaysia, said Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah.

He said Malaysia has many times stressed that it does not recognise and entertain any claim on Sabah, which had been recognised by the United Nations (UN) and the international community as among those which established the Federation of Malaysia on Sept 16, 1963.

"It must be emphasised that the government of Malaysia is not keeping quiet but has taken several measures to stop the claim proceeding,” he said when winding up the debate on the motion of thanks for the royal address for his ministry at Dewan Rakyat today.

Earlier the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law), Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said the government does not recognise the claim and arbitration relating to the payment order of RM62.59 billion (US$14.92 billion) to the heirs of Sulu Sultan.

This is in view of the appointment of the arbitrator, Dr Gonzalo Stampa, which has been annulled and is no longer legally valid.

On the issue of Pulau Pisang in Johor, he said the sovereignty of the island is not disputed by Singapore and it belongs to Malaysia, in fact Singapore recognises the sovereign right based on the agreement signed between the late Sultan Ibrahim and the Governor of Straits Settlements Sir James Alexander Sweethenham on Oct 6, 1900.

"Only the operation of the lighthouse here is under the management and administration of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore,” he said.

Saifuddin said Malaysia has full control over Pulau Pisang and workers of the lighthouse needed the permission of the country and go through the Malaysian Immigration checkpoint in Kukup, Johor to leave and enter the lighthouse.

On the security of Malaysian embassies abroad, he said the government does not compromise on their security and would be evacuated if necessary.

"At the same time, we are also upgrading the security system of Malaysian representative offices abroad with closed-circuit cameras, access cards and visitor registration,” he said On the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Saifuddin said Malaysia had stated its neutral stand at various levels while respecting the right of independence of a country and the integrity of its borders. - BERNAMA