Kota Kinabalu: Sabah has never recognised or acknowledged any claim by the Philippines or any other quarter on the state, said Chief Minister Musa Aman (pic)."Let me clearly state that Sabah is in Malaysia and has chosen to be and will continue to be a part of this sovereign nation since its formation," he said in a statement. He was responding to the intention of incoming Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte to pursue his country's claim on Sabah.Musa added that the people in Sabah had been enjoying peace, stability and economic prosperity within Malaysia.
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"Our allegiance is to the Malaysian flag. The (Philippine) claim is irrelevant," he says.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that the government is again emphasising its stand that Malaysia does not recognise and will not entertain any claim by any party on Sabah.
It took note of the statement by certain groups that appeared in the mass media concerning claims on Sabah. The statement said Sabah had been recognised by the United Nations (UN) and the international community as being a part of Malaysia since Sept 16, 1963.
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Duterte had said he would pursue the Philippines's claim to Sabah. He also said he would recognize the claim of the so-called Sulu sultanate.In 2013, followers of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram intruded into Lahad Datu to stake their claim over the area, which led to bloody encounters with Malaysia's security forces.
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Meanwhile, Pakatan NGO Pro BN would submit an official protest memorandum to Duterte through the Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur next week.Its Chairman Zulkarnain Mahdar said Duterte's intention is not only hurting the feelings of the people in Sabah but also an insult. Zulkarnain said Sabah achieved independence through Persekutuan Malaysia in 1963 after the Cobbold Commission was formed by the British Government in 1961."In 1962, the result of the referendum obtained from the people in North Borneo (Sabah) as well as Labuan and Sarawak supported the move to form Malaysia together with peninsula known as 'Federation of Malaya' at that time."At that time, the people supported the move with certain conditions and terms until the 20-Point was made by the people of Sabah leaders. These are facts and laws that had been recognised and no one can dispute them," he said, in a statement.He said such claim on Sabah was not new and each presidential candidate would make the issue its main capital to garner votes.
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"For this reason until now, the Philippine Government has not set up its consulate in Sabah…which I believe could be one of their political strategies."They also do not have the guts to bring its claim on Sabah to the International Court Justice (ICJ) in the Hague, as they already knew Sabah's decision to be in Malaysia is valid in the eyes of the law," Zulkarnain said.