Resolving issue must also involve the Sulu claimants

Kota Kinabalu: The Philippine and Malaysian governments alone will not be able to resolve the Sabah claim without the Sultanate Sulu heirs’ involvement “as the claim is within the propriety of the Sultanate”.

One of the Sulu Sultanate claimants’ so-called special envoy, Dato Naufal Jumadil, said that in equal terms it would not be in the interest of the Sultan nor the heirs to allow the claim to prolong.

“But unfortunately events and circumstances beyond our control have been hampering our initiative in wanting to advance the discussion process involving interested parties in the claim,” said Naufal who claimed to be the special envoy for the Sultanate claimant, Jamalul Kiram III.

He was responding to Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) President Datuk Seri Joseph Pairin Kitingan’s call for the Philippine Government to drop the Sabah claim.

He added that currently, it appeared that the discussion must also take into account the situation in the Southern Philippines where sporadic flare ups between confronting parties continue to undermine the peace process for the region causing more Filipinos, legally or illegally, to seek refuge in Sabah.

However, he said the issue of illegals does not reside on the Filipinos alone as there are other nationalities facing similar problems as well.

“Filipinos alone should not be labelled as the only nationals that have breached the immigration laws of the country,” he said.

He claimed that the so-called Office of the Special Envoy to the Sultan would extend their cooperation during the processing of the documents so that passports could be approved and made available.