Sarawak under Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) should take a serious look at the claims by the descendants of the last Sulu Sultan for violation of the 1878 agreement signed by Sultan Jamal Al Alam, Baron de Overbeck and the British North Borneo Company’s Alfred Dent. 

It could be that by taking Sabah as part of Malaysia from the British, Malaysia being the successor of this colony from United Kingdom made herself being sued by the descendants of the Sulu Sultan for the breaches of the 1878 Agreement.

It was said the breach was because Malaysia had stopped paying Sultan Sulu’s heirs their annual RM5,300 cession money since 2013 as a result of the Lahad Datu armed incursion. 

The award of about RM62 billion by the Spanish an arbitration court in Paris, France.  Called is “largest arbitration in Spain”.

Taking a cue about this arbitration award, the GPS government should not wait further to take legal actions in court to sue the federal government or even the United Kingdom for breaches of terms and conditions in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63). A failure to do so should be seen by Sarawakians as inability by GPS government to protect Sarawak rights.

The fact that the federal and state governments of Sabah and Sarawak had formed steering committees to deliberate and overcome the breaches leading to recent amendments to the federal constitution is a clear admission or acknowledgement by the federal, Sarawak and Sabah governments of the breaches of the terms and conditions of MA63.

Sarawak and Sabah were once colonies of United Kingdom and Malaya became the successor of United Kingdom after Sarawak and Sabah were handed to Malaya to enlarge her territories to form Malaysia.

This should be used by the Sarawak government to make the federal government of Malaysia liable for damages, loss of revenues, oil and gas and all other rights that Sarawak had suffered caused by the breaches.

It is also a good ground for GPS government to demand freedom and independence from the Federation because most Sarawakians want independence now.Voon Lee Shan
President, Parti Bumi Kenyalang
2 March 2022