KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Law Society (SLS) is calling for a clear and comprehensive disclosure of the legal and technical basis behind recent Malaysia-Indonesia border developments.
SLS president Datuk Mohamed Nazim Maduarin said transparency is essential to reconcile differing public accounts and safeguard confidence in constitutional processes affecting the state.
Nazim noted that varying narratives between Malaysian authorities and Indonesian media require the disclosure of negotiation details to provide clarity.
“Clarity cannot rest on assurances alone. Instead, it must be grounded in law, documentation and official record,” he said in a statement on Sunday (Jan 25).
SLS urged the Federal Government to disclose relevant agreements, joint survey records and official maps forming the basis of the boundary demarcation.
While Malaysian officials maintain that no territory has been ceded, Indonesian news reports have claimed that three villages in the Nunukan Regency of North Kalimantan were placed under Malaysian administration following a boundary adjustment involving 5,207 hectares.
Nazim stressed that these accounts describe "fundamentally different legal realities" that require documentation to resolve.
He added that Sabah’s territorial boundaries engage core principles of constitutional governance and federal-state relations, and are not merely routine administrative exercises.
The statement follows a denial by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Saturday (Jan 24) regarding media reports that Malaysia had handed over land as compensation for villages in the Nunukan area bordering Tawau.
Anwar stated that Malaysia would instead engage in amicable negotiations on the land compensation issue in the near future.
