Sabah Thesis Statement

Sabah, formerly known as North Borneo, is a thorn in the relationship between the Philippines and Malaysia. Both countries claim Sabah, but under the international legal framework, Sabah belongs to Malaysia.

Both the Philippines and Malaysia back-burned the Sabah issue for the sake of cooperation and better bilateral ties. This move was initiated by then Filipino President Ferdinand Marcos, who announced at the second Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, “(The) Government of the Republic of the Philippines is … taking definite steps to eliminate one of the burdens of ASEAN – the claim of the Philippine Republic to Sabah”. Since then, neither country actively pursued Sabah.

Even when the Royal Army of Sulu invaded Sabah

In the agreement, the sultan used the word “ceded” instead of “leased”. However, modern Philippines overlooks this Confirmatory Deed. Instead, it refers back to American anthropologist’s translation to support its claim to Sabah.

The Philippines’ historical claim v. Malaysia’s juridical claim

The core of the Philippines’ dormant claim to Sabah is the conviction that the Sultanate of Sulu never relinquishes its sovereign right over Sabah. Being the successor state of the Sultanate of Sulu, the Philippines is, therefore, the rightful heir to Sabah.

On the other hand, Malaysia claims Sabah based on the international law. It maintains that the Sultan of Sulu ceded, not leased Sabah to the British under the 1878 agreement. The British then transferred Sabah to the Malaysian Federation in 1963. Malaysia also has legal rights over Sabah because it Sabah comes under Malaysian administration. Moreover, Sabah pledges allegiance to Malaysia and does not recognise the Philippines’ claim. Chief Minister of Sabah Musa Aman even described Duterte’s claim as “irrelevant”, and maintained that Sabah will continue to be part of the Malaysian