Hajiji hailed the decision and said it also reaffirmed the state government’s stand in not recognising the claim.- Bernama photo
KOTA KINABALU (June 27): Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said the Hague Court of Appeal’s dismissal of a bid by the Sulu group against the Malaysian government is further proof that the group’s claim has no locus standi.
Hajiji hailed the decision and said it also reaffirmed the state government’s stand in not recognising the claim.
“Sabah shares the federal government’s confidence, as stated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, that it was closer to completely nullifying the award after the decision,” he said in a statement here tonight.
Hajiji thanked the prime minister and the federal government for the decisive actions to stand firm to protect Malaysia’s sovereignty.
“The state government will continue to work closely with the federal government until the so-called Sabah Claim is quashed,” said the chief minister.
Anwar announced that The Hague Court of Appeal in the Netherlands today dismissed the Sulu claimants’ application for recognition and enforcement of a purported arbitral award of US$14.9 billion (RM62.59 billion) to be enforced in the Netherlands.
Meanwhile, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah, Sarawak Affairs and Special Functions) Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said the latest court decision marked the failure of those who tried to manipulate the international system and process of justice for their own vested interests.
“The high commitment shown by the prime minister and all the team members involved in fighting for the rights and interests of the country should be given deep appreciation,” he told Bernama when contacted.
Armizan, who is Papar MP, urged all quarters to take a lesson from this case and not to be complacent on matters which touched on the country’s integrity and sovereignty.
“Sometimes we are not aware that our statements and actions can open a door for outside parties to manipulate international forums for their own interests and to undermine our national interests,” he said.
Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat president Datuk Peter Anthony said the victory was important for Sabah and hoped that the illegitimate final award would be fully nullified.
“The issue of Sulu claims has been haunting us for so long, including the bloody incident which happened in the Sabah east coast in 2013. We hope and pray that the issue of claims by the so-called heirs of the Sulu Sultanate would be put to an end after this,” said the Melalap state assemblyman.
Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah deputy president Rina Jainal, who is also Kukusan state assemblyman, hoped that with the landmark victory, no quarters would again try to politicise the issue and that the people would remain united in protecting the security of Sabah.
Sandakan MP Vivian Wong said the ruling favoured Malaysia because the claim itself was baseless and illegitimate.
“Hence, I am not surprised by the Dutch court’s ruling. As a Sabahan and a Malaysian, there isn’t any doubt that Sabah is part of Malaysia. Full stop,” said Wong, urging the claimants to respect Malaysia’s sovereignty and to stop such frivolous claims once and for all. — Bernama