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.
“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.
