Malaysian Minister renews ties with Duterte, says PH has no territorial claims over Sabah

Manila---The Prime Minister of Malaysia Mahathir Mohamad on Thursday paid courtesy to President Rodrigo Duterte in Malacañang to renew ties to the decades-long dispute over Sabah, the controversial territory of the southern country.

When was asked about the Philippines’ dormant claim to Sabah, a territory of south PH declared part of the Malaysian federation in 1963, Minister  Mohamad's stated in the exclusive interview of ANC, that PH has no claim.

"Well, as far as we’re concerned, there is no claim,” said Mahathir.

The Palace, however clarified that the country has claims despite of maintained arguments since Marcos administration.

 Credit Image: https://www.lincoln.edu.my/Student/about_malaysia

“That’s their position. The position of the President is we have a claim,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a Palace press briefing Thursday.

“It’s true that we have a claim. That’s been the bone of contention since the time of [the late] President Marcos,” he added.

PM Mahathir who is in the Philippines for a three-day Official visit, seemed hesitant to speak about the matter and said no discussion will be performed between him and Duterte on Sabah when they meet later Thursday. 

“We will not discuss that,” he said.

Duterte and Mohamad of Malaysia, together with their respective delegations, convened for an expanded bilateral meeting at the Aguinaldo State Dining Room in Malacañang Palace late Thursday.

The two leaders discussed matters concerning several areas of mutual cooperation including the economy, trade and investments, and people-to-people exchanges.

However, at the start of Duterte's presidency, he said that he would “stick with the original position of the government. Nothing has changed.”

The Philippines stakes its claim to Sabah by citing an 1878 land lease agreement between the Sultanate of Sulu and the British North Borneo Chartered Co.

The Philippines sticked to the agreement of the leasing of the land and did not render Sabah part of Malaysia when it was formed into a federation in 1963.

There had only been recurrent discussions between the Philippines and Malaysia over the claim wherein the latter has continued to govern the territory.

In November 2016, Duterte and then Prime Minister Najib Razak agreed to set aside the contention. 

In 2013,  Malaysia has sentenced 9 Filipinos to death over the incident in Sabah where hundreds of militants from Tawi-Tawi to Lahad Datu in the territory declared their claim, calling themselves "Royal Security Forces of the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo.”

Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said that Mahathir, in his previous stint as prime minister, now aged 93, undertook official visits to the Philippines in 1987 and 1994.This is his first visit to the country since being reelected as Malaysia's highest leader in 2018.

Mahathir was known for his strongarm, sometimes contentious style of rule intolerant of dissent from 1981 to 2003, but also for transforming his country in Southeast Asia from a sleepy backwater into a modern industrialized nation.