Monday, February 12, 2018

Philippines' claim to Sabah politically driven: Anifah


Fardy Bungga, New Straits Times, Yahoo Singapore News

image from

Talks on Philippines' claim on Sabah [see]are nothing more than personal political agenda by certain quarters to gain support from the people of the country, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman [Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia] said today.

He said based on the clarification he got from Philippine's Foreign Affairs secretary, Alan Peter Cayetano during the Asean Foreign Ministers' Retreat in Singapore recently, the matter was not the government's official stance.

He pointed out that it was also unlikely for the Philippines would take such action as it would sour the relations between the two countries.

Talks on Philippines' claim on Sabah are nothing more than personal political agenda by certain quarters to gain support from the people of the country, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman said today. 

"Alan told me (that) the Sabah claim (as suggested by a Philippine former senator) came about due attempts by some people to gain political mileage," he said, after a public diplomacy programme with the Chinese community from Kimanis near here.

Anifah added that Malaysia's stand was clear as it will never recognise and entertain any claims by any party on Sabah.

He said Sabah is recognised by the United Nations and the international community as part of Malaysia since the formation of the Federation on September 16, 1963.

The remarks, made by Aquilino Pimentel Jr, a member of the Philippines’ Consultative Committee appeared in the media recently.

Pimentel, who was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte as a member of a consultative committee to review the 1987 Constitution, said he would propose the inclusion of Sabah in the Philippines' territory as part of the country’s shift to a federal system of government. 

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