Sulu claim issue: Opposition MPs invited to closed-door briefing by ministers

KUALA LUMPUR: Opposition MPs will be given a closed-door briefing on Thursday (July 21) on the issues surrounding the claims by the self-proclaimed heirs to the Sulu sultanate.

The briefing session, to be held at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur at 8.30pm, will be given by three senior ministers.

Teo Nie Ching (PH-Kulai) and Chan Foong Hin (PH-Kota Kinabalu) said they had received an invitation that was labelled “Confidential” for the briefing session.

“Yesterday, all Opposition and Independent MPs received an invitation from the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department. I can’t copy and share it with the media.

“I don’t know how an invitation can be confidential. It invited me to a closed-door briefing tonight at a hotel here in Kuala Lumpur.

"There will also be a question-and-answer session but this is a closed-door briefing,” Teo told reporters at a press conference in Parliament's media centre on Thursday (July 21).

She said the invitation said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Legal Affairs) Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tunku Jaafar, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Economic Affairs) Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed and Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah were tasked to give the briefing.

On Wednesday (July 20), Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Azhar Aziz Harun said that the issue over the Sulu claim would not be debated in the Dewan Rakyat because Malaysia has ongoing proceedings involving the matter abroad.

Azhar said this was to ensure that the government's legal strategies would not be revealed to the world.

On Monday (July 18), Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis (Warisan-Kota Belud) was suspended for two days from attending the Dewan Rakyat after she refused to heed calls by Deputy Speaker Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon to stop disrupting proceedings.

This was due to an earlier heated exchange which happened after Azhar denied her motion to debate the issue on the Sulu claims due to possible sub judice.

On July 12, the Financial Times reported that bailiffs in Luxembourg had seized subsidiaries PETRONAS Azerbaijan (Shah Deniz) and PETRONAS South Caucasus on behalf of their clients.

However, Malaysia had obtained a stay order on the RM63bil award. The assets have already been sold.

The government is currently preparing for the hearing to quash the final award, although a hearing date has yet to be fixed.

Apart from this, Malaysia had also filed criminal proceedings against arbitrator Dr Gonzalo Stampa for contempt of court in Madrid.

Stampa is representing the so-called heirs of the Sulu sultanate and had initially tried to obtain a court judgement in Spain, which was later quashed.

Meanwhile, Chan insisted that the issue be debated in the Dewan Rakyat as it is an important issue affecting the nation's sovereignty.

"As a Sabahan, it is important for the matter to be heard by all and it should be debated in Parliament," he added.