Kota Kinabalu, Thursday, 11 December 2025
The successful conclusion of the Sulu arbitration claim of US14.9 billion against Malaysia has laid the political basis for the final closure of the so-called Philippines claim. The Philippines claim to Sabah rests itself on the Sulu claim dating back to 1878. Without the Sulu claim, the Philippines claim inevitably falls as the Philippines claim has absolutely no basis.
The finality of the Paris Court and other European courts of law has shown that the Sulu claim was an attempt in futility. With the finality to the Sulu claim, the Philippines people should be convinced that their government’s claim to Sabah is an exercise in absolute futility. It should now be apparent and acceptable to the Philippines people that their government should forget about the Sabah claim and move on.
Philippines Consulate in Sabah
A clear and definitive action to finally close the issue of the Philippines claim is for the Philippines to set up a Consulate in Sabah in order to provide the badly needed consular services for the many Filipino citizens in Sabah.
The people of the Philippines should move on and build good neighbourly relations with Malaysia, particularly between Sabah and the Southern provinces of the Philippines.
At the same time, the Malaysian government should take heed that the relevant document was the grant of 29 December 1877 instead of the grant of 22 January 1878. The 1877 and other documents prove that Sabah (North Borneo) was never a part of Sulu. It is now the responsibility of the Malaysian government to pursue the setting up of a Philippines Consulate in Sabah.
Datuk Yong Teck Lee
Ex-Chief Minister