Aquino a 'pain in the ass!'

Sabah belongs to Malaysia, legally. The United Nations (UN) has recognised the state as part of Malaysia.

However, our friends (are they?) in the Philippines keep saying Sabah is part of their territories. Their president Benigno Aquino III said Manila will not recognise 'Sabah in Malaysia', and neither will they drop their claim over Sabah.

Aquino's stand is hurting Malaysia-Philippines good relations. I can't help but question his sincerity, especially in joint effort to combat terrorism in southern Mindanao. Has he really been helping us? Or he has been giving soft permitting to the Suluk people and pirates to provoke Malaysia by launching a series of kidnapping in eastern Sabah!

KOTA KINABALU: Malaysia is reiterating its stand that it does not recognise any claim over Sabah.
Wisma Putra said Sabah had been recognised by the United Nations and international community as being part of Malaysia since Sept 16, 1963.
This was the message Malaysia conveyed to Philippines charge d’affaires Merdardo G Macaraig who was summoned to the Foreign Ministry on May 19.
The Ministry said in a statement that Macaraig was summond in the wake of a statement by Philippine president Benigno Aquino III that he had no intention to drop his country’s claim over Sabah.
Aquino said this in an interview with Philippines journalist Raissa Robbles on May 15.
The question was posed to Aquino amid growing speculation that Manila would drop the Sabah claim in exchange for Malaysia’s support for a Bangsamoro government in southern Philippines.

During a recent interview with a local newspaper, Aquino has maintained the Philippines will not drop its claim over Sabah, but that there are factors to consider before making moves to press for it.

In a portion of a transcript of an interview by journalist Raissa Robles on the Sabah issue, the President said giving up Sabah would “open such a big can of worms in this country.”

He said Justice Secretary Leila de Lima did a study on the matter and “one of the biggest issues there is the right of self-determination which, I understand, is part of the United Nations Charter.”

“It’s supposed to trump everything, whether historical fact, et cetera. At the end of the day, people who are living there, if they are asked, will they say they want to join us or they want to join Malaysia? There was supposed to have been a vote done,” Aquino said.

The Philippines maintains a territorial claim over eastern Sabah (formerly known as North Borneo ) by saying the agreement signed in 1878 between the Sultan of Sulu and the North Borneo Chartered Co. was merely a lease and did not strip the country of its sovereignty over the area.

So, does he expect us to trust him and his government?

In some attacks and kidnappings in Sabah, Manila should take up a major role in persuading the Suluk and pirates to refrain from becoming a threat to Sabah security. However, I don't think Aquino cares about his relation with Kuala Lumpur.

In KOTA KINABALU last week, IGP Khalid Abu Bakar said the Philippine government must take responsibility and come down hard on the militants who use the south islands as a base to terrorise and kidnap Malaysians.

He was commenting on the latest kidnapping incident in Sandakan, Sabah last Thursday when four armed men raided the seaside Ocean King Seafood Restaurant and kidnapped its co-owner and a customer.

He said the Philippine government should take measures to wipe out terrorist organisations which continuously intrude into Malaysia and commit crimes here.

“It’s up to them what kind of action they should take, but it needs to have an impact so that these groups stop coming here and targeting our people and our tourists,” the Malay Mail quoted Khalid as saying.