KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia once again reiterated its stance to never entertain or recognise any claim on Sabah.
Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Kamarudin Jaffar said claims on Sabah, particularly by the Philippines, were not only baseless but also irrelevant.
He said Sabah was a state in the Malaysian federation, based on the decision of the Cobbold Commission in 1962, with the people of Sabah having exercised their right to self-determination for their state to be in Malaysia.
The deputy minister said the Cobbold Commission report was submitted to the United Nations on August 1, 1962, and confirmed that more than two-thirds of Sabahans voted to join Malaysia in 1963.
“On September 14,1963, the UN secretary-general reported to the UN general assembly that the people of Sabah had chosen to join Malaysia. On September 16, 1963, Sabah officially joined the Federation of Malaysia,” he said in reply to Datuk Azizah Mohd Dun (Bersatu-Beaufort) on the status of the Philippines’ claim on Sabah at the Dewan Rakyat sitting today.
Kamarudin said the Foreign Ministry would immediately act to reject any statement claiming Sabah by submitting a note of protest, issuing a media statement, or summoning the Philippines ambassador to the ministry to reaffirm Malaysia’s stance on the status of Sabah.
“The Malaysian government is very concerned and seriously views the action to raise the issue. We will not budge in defending Sabah’s status from any quarters trying to tarnish its sovereignty,” he said.
Kamarudin, who acknowledged that the issue has been going on for the past 57 years, said the Perikatan Nasional government was committed to fully implementing the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), besides ensuring the wellbeing of the people in Sabah and Sarawak.
“The 2021 budget, which was tabled recently, sees the highest allocation ever provided in the country’s history also for Sabah and Sarawak.
“This is among our moves to ensure the people of Sabah fully support their presence in Malaysia and to fend off any attempt by any country to take over Sabah.” – Bernama, November 12, 2020
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