KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has rejected claims that Malaysia handed over 5,207 hectares of land to Indonesia as compensation for three villages near the Sabah-Kalimantan border.
The Prime Minister described the allegations as false and misleading during a special parliamentary briefing on the Malaysia-Indonesia border alignment issue in the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday (Feb 4).
Anwar clarified that both nations are bound by boundary agreements dating back more than a century, and the disputed areas have long been addressed within that framework.
“Claims that Malaysia ceded 5,207 hectares as compensation for three villages in Nunukan are untrue and amount to misinformation, even if not made with malicious intent,” he told the House.
Maps and official records show the area in question has been referenced consistently since agreements reached in 1915.
Anwar stressed that Malaysia had never formally recognised the territory as its own nor pursued a legal claim over it.
The briefing saw heated exchanges after the Prime Minister urged lawmakers to seek clarification rather than resort to accusations of treachery.
Opposition leader Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin (PN-Larut) rejected any suggestion that his bloc was acting in bad faith, stating they were merely seeking clarity based on external reports.
Meanwhile, Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal (Warisan-Semporna) reminded the House that the issue must be handled strictly according to constitutional principles due to its long-term implications.
Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul suggested that technical aspects of the border issue be referred to a parliamentary select committee for further scrutiny.
Anwar agreed that all legal processes must be followed, reiterating that while a negotiation-level understanding exists, the process has not yet been concluded.
