Statement on the Sabah crisis

By Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy (PCID)
March 7, 2013

Muslim Mindanao, particularly the natives of the Island provinces, will be commemorating Bangsamoro Day on March 18, the infamous day of the Jabidah Massacre where young Tausug mujahideen were killed by the military in 1968 after the botched attempt of the Marcos regime to send a special assault team to Sabah with the express purpose of creating instability, thus allowing the Philippine military to step in and reclaim Sabah. Bangsamoro Day has become a day of recognition of our distinct identity as Bangsamoro people.

However, the celebration this year is wrought with sorrow. In an eerie coincidence, Sabah has again become the cause of bloodshed. It is unfortunate that the escalating hostilities in Lahad Datu have spilled over to other areas such as Sempurna, where thousands of Filipinos have resided for decades. Our fear for the lives of unprotected innocents remains unabated, as we listen to reports of the growing number of casualties.

In view of the alarming turn of events, which has become bleaker every minute, we strongly urge Malaysia to cease its excessive use of force against a group of Filipinos, inadequately armed and clearly outnumbered. We join the UN Secretary General’s call for the immediate end to the violence in Lahad Datu and other areas in Sabah. For humanitarian reasons, an immediate cessation of hostilities is in order to avert further loss of lives and destruction of property. To enforce the ceasefire, we call on independent parties, such as the UN Peacekeeping Forces, to maintain order in the conflict areas.

We reiterate the widespread call for a peaceful and diplomatic resolution to the Sabah debacle between the Royal Army of the Sultanate of Sulu and Malaysian security forces. We join the United Nations’ call for both parties to dialogue and avoid further destruction of lives and property. We urge Malaysia to allow Red Crescent access, thus providing innocent victims and casualties medical assistance and humanitarian aid.

The highly volatile situation calls for tempered and experienced leaders, knowledgeable about the underlying issues, to diffuse the tensions. We call on the Aquino Administration to create a Crisis Committee to work on a peaceful and just resolution of the Lahad Datu crisis. The Crisis Committee should be headed by the Office of the President and should include the National Security Council, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos, the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, the Commission on Human Rights as well as representatives of the Sultanate and the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.

The CC shall endeavor to address the present crisis in Sabah through legal avenues available, within the framework of international, regional and bilateral treaties, accords and other legal instruments binding on Malaysia and the Philippines.

We reecho the call by the Philippine Government for Malaysia to observe maximum tolerance should be pursued in the context of Islamic Brotherhood and ASEAN unity.

We also appeal, as one Ummah, to the Muslim countries within the ASEAN to help resolve the situation in Sabah peacefully to avert further loss of lives.

We call on all the members of the Royalty and Nobility of the Sulu Sultanate to unite behind the search for a peaceful resolution of the crisis.

We also urge the Aquino administration to actively explore options to resolve the Philippines’ claim to Sabah. A just and peaceful resolution of the claim of the Sulu Sultanate, erstwhile ceded to the Philippine Government, will remove a thorny issue that has caused much uncertainty between Malaysia and the Philippines.

We further urge the Philippine Government to protect the proprietary rights of Sultan Jamalul Alam’s heirs, identified in the 1939 ruling of Chief Justice C.F.C. Macaskie of the High Court of the North Borneo. All the principal heirs have died. The rights of their successors-in-interest, most of whom are Filipino citizens, must be protected by the Philippine Government.

We call on the Philippine Government to create a Sabah Committee, under the Office of the President, to address the Philippine claim to Sabah. The members of the Committee should include the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Justice, Department of National Defense, Mindanao Development Authority, the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, National Commission on Muslim Filipinos, a representative of the Sultanate of Sulu as well as a representative of the heirs to Sabah.

We call on the Philippine Senate and the House of Representatives to pass a resolution expressing the sense of both chambers on the Lahad Datu crisis and to authorize the executive branch to pursue the Sabah claim peacefully and legally, and to ensure the protection of Filipinos residing in Sabah.