Manila claim: ‘Fed Govt obliged to find solution’

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Terrence Siambun

KOTA KINABALU: Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) said the Federal Government is obliged to find a solution to the Philippine Government’s claim on Sabah.

Warisan  treasurer general Terrence Siambun said in a statement yesterday that the president of Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS),  Datuk Seri  Anifah Aman should accept the fact that he failed to end the issue during his tenure as foreign minister, instead of blaming the Chief Minister about it.

He opined that while Anifah might have received advice from his officials in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs not to entertain the claim by Manila, as a Sabahan he should have had the initiative to find a permanent solution to the issue.

“Anifah should have the humility to apologize to Sabahans for failing to deliver something concrete for Sabah with regards to the Manila claim when he had the power and position to do so,” Siambun said.

He pointed out that the  State’s sovereignty is guaranteed by the Federal Government under MA63 and this is the basis why past Sabah leaders agreed to form the Federation with Sarawak, Malaya and Singapore in the first place.

So if security and sovereignty are the basis as to why Sabah’s past leaders agreed to form this federation as embedded in MA63, then the Federal Government is obliged to fulfil their responsibility by finding a solution to the claim through the Prime Minister’s Office and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and not the Chief Minister’s Office, he stressed.

“So how can Anifah now put the blame on  Datuk Seri  Shafie Apdal who is the Chief Minister of Sabah?  It makes me wonder, is he really fighting for the State’s rights.

“Firstly, he was silent when our gas was being channeled out to Sarawak and secondly, he never did anything on Manila’s claim,”  Siambun asserted in a statement yesterday.

He also opined that if Wisma Putra prioritized the issue through their own initiatives instead of merely summoning the ambassador everytime such claim arises, then it would give a clear signal to Manila and the Bangsamoro that the Federal Government is serious about protecting the sovereignty of Sabah.

“The Bangsamoro believes Sabah still belongs to them by virtue of the lease held by the British and they have held to this belief for more than a century.

“ Obviously this belief is being reinforced by Manila’s claim, which may be for political or other reasons, but the essence of it all is that this is one of the main reasons why the Bangsamoro have never stopped coming into the State illegally,” he said.

Hence, Wisma Putra must come out with their own initiatives through continuous discussions with their Philippine counterparts at high level meetings, international symposiums or seminars and so on, Siambun stressed.

“This is more so since the Philippines Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. had been reported as mulling to revive an office in the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) dedicated to efforts to reclaim Sabah. So Wisma Putra must flex its muscles on this matter.

“This issue transcends politics since this is an obligation and responsibility – so if no action is coming from Perikatan Nasional (PN), then we can all assume that PN leaders including all its Sabahan leaders have failed to understand MA63 and protect the State,” he concluded.