Research centre gathering documents to debunk Sulu heirs’ claims on Sabah

KOTA KINABALU – A centre will be set up to refute the apparent claims made by the heirs of the Sulu Sultanate over Sabah while aiming to provide the right historical narrative.

Sabah’s Institute for Development Studies (IDS) CEO Prof Ramzah Dambul said the Research Centre for North Borneo History is in its early stages as the team needs to take stock of the existing historical documents available in the public domain.

Following that, he told The Vibes that the search for more materials will continue elsewhere, such as the UK’s national archives in London.

“We already have a repository of documents from the state and national archives, libraries, universities, and research entities.

“They (researchers) have to keep going back to London because they may find other documents relevant to the subject matter.

“That’s why we keep searching for materials. Sometimes even if we can get a hold of the materials as they could date as far back as the 16th century. They are also very difficult to interpret and we need experts to do that.”

He added that historical documents dating back to 1881 (in relation to the entry of the British North Borneo Company) were the only ones needed to debunk the heirs’ claims.

“Being able to retrieve all the historical documents is only half of the job, the other half (is) deciphering what was written and their meaning according to the minds of that time,” said Ramzah, adding that the work requires experts, but Sabah does not have any.

In reality, he said there are documents that were drawn up in the 16th and 17th centuries that could shed some light on the history of North Borneo.

It is learnt that the centre received approval from the Sabah chief minister.

The centre is also seen as the realisation of the Sabah Law Society’s call for the government to set up a legal repository regarding the Sulu claims, which the legal body proposed should come under the state’s Attorney-General’s (AG) Chambers.

Sabah’s AG has declined and now, it is under the purview of IDS. – The Vibes, July 10, 2022