KOTA KINABALU: The final resolution of the US$14.9bil Sulu arbitration dispute has created the political basis to bring the long-standing Philippines claim to Sabah to a definitive end, says former chief minister Datuk Yong Teck Lee.
He said the Philippines’ position had long rested on the 1878 Sulu claim, and with that claim now proven "an exercise in absolute futility" through final decisions by the Paris Court of Appeal and other European courts, there was no remaining legitimacy to sustain Manila’s assertion.
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"With this finality to the Sulu claim... it should now be apparent to the people of the Philippines that their government should forget about the Sabah claim and move on," he said in a statement on Thursday (Dec 11).
The Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president said a clear and meaningful step forward would be for the Philippine government to establish a consulate in Sabah to serve its large community of citizens residing in the state.
"Build good neighbourly relations with Malaysia, particularly between Sabah and the southern provinces of the Philippines," he said.
He also urged Putrajaya to recognise the correct historical documentation, pointing out that "the relevant document was the grant of Dec 29, 1877, instead of the grant of Jan 22, 1878", adding that these and other records show that North Borneo was never a part of Sulu.
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"It is now the responsibility of the Malaysian government to pursue the setting up of a Philippine consulate in Sabah," he added.
The Paris Court of Appeal has fully annulled the "Final Award" issued to the self-styled Sulu heirs by arbitrator Gonzalo Stampa on Feb 28, 2022, and ordered the claimants to pay €200,000 (US$232,734) in costs to Malaysia.
According to the War Room of the Special Secretariat on the Sulu Case, which represents the Malaysian government, the decision was delivered on Tuesday (Dec 9).
