By Luke Rintod, 6-7-2024
KOTA KINABALU : A group of Sabah and Sarawak's activists today claimed that a true referendum will settle the prolong Philippines' claim on Sabah.They opined that the referendum will also settle once and for all the lingering questions of whether the two Borneo states still want to continue with the federation with Malaya in Malaysia or otherwise.
They raised the issue as the Philippines prepared its argument to get the United Nations to recognise the extent of its continental shelf in its own on-going dispute with China which claims the entire South China Sea.
In fact the Philippines on June 15, 2024, filed its report or demand in the UN on its sovereignty over the sea setting out 350 nautical miles on a continental shelf from its Palawan island, just north of Malaysian Banggi island off Sabah.
Under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the maximum outer limits allowed for a country's continental shelf is 350 nautical miles.
The Borneo activists, in their joint statement today, argued that the Philippines could be asserting its claim of continental shelf off Palawan island from the Sabah baseline, and this could be construed as a prelude to claiming Sabah.
The 11 activists are Daniel John Jambun, Robert Pei, Jovilis Majami, Timothy Jagak, Moses Anap, Emily Elvera Edward, Cleftus Stephen Mojingol, Voon Lee Shan, Peter John Jaban, Apun Achong and Dr Kanul Gindol who each leads their own NGO/CSO (listed below).
"The Philippines could approach the UN to resurrect the Manila Accord 1963 and claim that the then Malayan & British governments had breached the Accord pre-Malaysia formation conditions agreed to by Malaya with Indonesia and the Philippines on 31st July 1963.
"These were that (a) there be compliance with UN requirement for a referendum to allow the people of a non-self-governing territories to exercise self-determination in a vote on federation with Malaya and S'pore (b) resolve the Philippines claim on Sabah," they said.
In the UN Charter, a Non-Self-Governing Territory is defined as a territory “whose people have not yet attained a full measure of self-government.
They said Sabah and Sarawak could then be dragged into the issue and raise the issue of internal colonisation by Malaysia.
"The Philippines may argue before the UN Council that the formation of Malaysia was conducted hastily and without the consent and free will of the people of Sabah through a referendum.
"The Cobbold Commission, conducted to ascertain the opinion of some 4000 people in Sabah and Sarawak on the formation of Malaysia, was not a real referendum. The commission conclusion that 1/3 were for Malaysia, 1/3 wanted independence first, and another 1/3 wanted total independence, was merely an inquiry and not a referendum. This could not in any way be used to represent the views of over 1.5 million people in Sabah and Sarawak at the time, half of whom were not adults. Nor was the inquiry actually a process of directly obtaining the consent of the adult voters as required by UN Decolonisation laws," they said.
Colonisation stands defined by international law as a criminal enterprise for accumulating capital by transferring wealth from those who have no power for those who have power.
They further said : "Although we do not believe that the Philippines has a solid claim, the matter should be finally laid to rest by an agreement to conduct a referendum for Sabahans to choose among three options:
1. Remain in the Malaysian Federation.
2. Join the Philippines (an outcome we consider highly unlikely).
3. Exit the Malaysian Federation for independence.
"Firstly, there must be at least a three-year free campaign to inform people of the respective positions (by Sabahans only, with no Malayan input) on the three options.
"Secondly, Project IC holders must be excluded and barred from voting in the referendum. And thirdly, and most of all, both Malaysia and the Philippines must agree to abide by the referendum result," they said.
They pointed out that a referendum will finally achieve what should have been done in 1963.
They said there were three occasions when this right was denied by the Malayan and British governments:
1. A referendum instead of the Cobbold Commission.
2. A referendum in compliance with the Manila Accord 1963 condition, which was sabotaged by the British with a "UN assessment."
3. Failure to comply with the condition in the 1966 Malaysia-Indonesia Peace Treaty to end Konfrontasi, to hold a vote on Malaysia in Sabah (and Sarawak).
"This call for a referendum will secure a definitive and just resolution to the Sabah question, allowing its people to decide their future once and for all," they asserted.
"Even the Philippines' former President Diosdado Macapagal once declared that if Sabah chose independence, the Philippines would respect that choice," they said adding that it is time especially for Sabahans to see its potential forward.#
Daniel John Jambun
President, Borneo's Plight in Malaysia Foundation (BoPiMaFo)
Robert Pei President Sabah Sarawak Rights Australia New Zealand (SSRANZ)
Jovilis Majami President Persatuan Pembangunan Sosial Komuniti Sabah (BANGUN)
Timothy Jagak
Gabungan Orang Asal Sarawak/Sabah (GOASS)
Moses Anap President Republic of Sabah North Borneo (RSNB)
Emily Elvera Edward President of Sabah Sarawak Borneo Native Organisation Inc
Cleftus Stephen Mojingol President Pertubuhan Kebajikan Rumpun Dayak Sabah
Voon Lee Shan President Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK)
Peter John Jaban
Publicity and Information Chief
Sarawak Association fo peoples Aspirations ( SAPA )
Apun Achong
Deputy President
Persatuan Etnik Dayak Asal Sarawak ( PEDAS )
Dr Kanul Gindol Chairman Gindol Initiative for Civil Society Borneo
Stetmen berkenaan dalam versi Bahasa Malaysia :
**KENYATAAN AKHBAR**
Kerajaan Filipina boleh mendekati PBB untuk menghidupkan semula Perjanjian Manila 1963 dan mendakwa bahawa kerajaan Malaya dan British ketika itu telah melanggar syarat-syarat pembentukan Malaysia yang dipersetujui oleh Malaya dengan Indonesia dan Filipina pada 31 Julai 1963.
Syarat-syarat tersebut adalah (a) mematuhi keperluan PBB untuk mengadakan referendum bagi membolehkan penduduk wilayah yang belum berkerajaan sendiri melaksanakan hak menentukan nasib sendiri dalam undian mengenai penyertaan dalam persekutuan dengan Malaya dan Singapura (b) menyelesaikan tuntutan Filipina terhadap Sabah.
Dalam Piagam PBB, Wilayah yang Belum Berkerajaan Sendiri ditakrifkan sebagai wilayah "yang rakyatnya belum mencapai tahap pemerintahan sendiri yang sepenuhnya."
https://www.un.org/en/observances/non-self-governing-week
Mereka boleh mendekati Jawatankuasa Dekolonisasi PBB untuk meminta kajian semula mengenai Perjanjian tersebut dan MA63.
Penyerahan Filipina kepada Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu untuk secara rasmi mengiktiraf keluasan landas kontinentalnya yang memproyeksikan dari garis asas Sabah boleh dianggap sebagai pendahulu kepada tuntutan ke atas Sabah.
https://www.malaysia-today.net/2020/08/26/philippines-just-approved-a-bill-to-include-sabah-as-part-of-their-map-on-passports/
Filipina mungkin berhujah di hadapan Majlis PBB bahawa pembentukan Malaysia dilakukan secara tergesa-gesa dan tanpa persetujuan dan kehendak bebas rakyat Sabah melalui referendum.
Suruhanjaya Cobbold, yang dijalankan untuk menentukan pendapat sekitar 4000 orang di Sabah dan Sarawak mengenai pembentukan Malaysia, bukanlah referendum sebenar. Kesimpulan suruhanjaya bahawa 1/3 menyokong Malaysia, 1/3 mahukan kemerdekaan terlebih dahulu, dan 1/3 lagi mahukan kemerdekaan sepenuhnya, hanyalah satu kajian dan bukan referendum. Ini sama sekali tidak boleh digunakan untuk mewakili pandangan lebih 1.5 juta orang di Sabah dan Sarawak pada masa itu, di mana separuh daripadanya bukan orang dewasa. Selain itu, kajian ini sebenarnya bukan satu proses untuk mendapatkan persetujuan langsung daripada pengundi dewasa seperti yang diperlukan oleh undang-undang Dekolonisasi PBB.
Oleh itu, Sabah dan Sarawak boleh membangkitkan isu penjajahan dalaman oleh Malaysia.
Penjajahan ditakrifkan oleh undang-undang antarabangsa sebagai satu usaha jenayah untuk mengumpul modal dengan memindahkan kekayaan daripada mereka yang tidak mempunyai kuasa kepada mereka yang mempunyai kuasa.
Walaupun kami tidak percaya bahawa Filipina mempunyai tuntutan yang kukuh, perkara ini harus diselesaikan sekali gus dengan bersetuju untuk mengadakan referendum bagi membolehkan rakyat Sabah memilih antara tiga pilihan:
1. Kekal dalam Persekutuan Malaysia.
2. Menyertai Filipina (hasil yang kami anggap sangat tidak mungkin).
3. Keluar dari Persekutuan Malaysia untuk kemerdekaan.
Pertama sekali, mesti ada kempen bebas selama sekurang-kurangnya tiga tahun untuk memaklumkan kepada rakyat mengenai kedudukan masing-masing (oleh rakyat Sabah sahaja, tanpa campur tangan Malaya) mengenai ketiga-tiga pilihan tersebut.
Kedua, pemegang Project IC mesti dikecualikan dan dihalang daripada mengundi dalam referendum.
Ketiga, dan yang paling penting, Malaysia dan Filipina mesti bersetuju untuk mematuhi keputusan referendum tersebut.
Sebuah referendum akhirnya akan mencapai apa yang sepatutnya dilakukan pada tahun 1963. Terdapat tiga kesempatan di mana hak ini dinafikan oleh kerajaan Malaya dan British:
1. Referendum sebagai ganti kepada Suruhanjaya Cobbold.
2. Referendum untuk mematuhi syarat Perjanjian Manila 1963, yang disabotaj oleh British dengan "penilaian PBB".
3. Kegagalan mematuhi syarat dalam Perjanjian Damai Malaysia-Indonesia 1966 untuk menamatkan Konfrontasi, untuk mengadakan undian mengenai Malaysia di Sabah (dan Sarawak).
Seruan ini untuk referendum akan mendapatkan resolusi yang muktamad dan adil mengenai persoalan Sabah, membolehkan rakyatnya menentukan masa depan mereka sekali dan selamanya.
Bekas Presiden Diosdado Macapagal pernah menyatakan bahawa jika Sabah memilih kemerdekaan, Filipina akan menghormati pilihan itu. Sudah tiba masanya bagi rakyat Sabah untuk meneliti semula kemungkinan ini ke hadapan.
**Penandatangan:**
Daniel John Jambun
Presiden, Yayasan Borneo's Plight in Malaysia (BoPiMaFo)
Robert Pei
Presiden Sabah Sarawak Rights Australia New Zealand (SSRANZ)
Jovilis Majami
Presiden Persatuan Pembangunan Sosial Komuniti Sabah (BANGUN)
Timothy Jagak
Gabungan Orang Asal Sarawak/Sabah (GOASS)
Moses Anap
Presiden Republic of Sabah North Borneo (RSNB)
Emily Elvera Edward
Presiden Organisasi Asal Borneo Sabah Sarawak Inc
Cleftus Stephen Mojingol
Presiden Pertubuhan Kebajikan Rumpun Dayak Sabah
Voon Lee Shan
Presiden Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK)
Peter John Jaban
Ketua Publisiti dan Maklumat
Persatuan Aspirasi Rakyat Sarawak (SAPA)
Apun Achong
Timbalan Presiden
Persatuan Etnik Dayak Asal Sarawak (PEDAS)
Dr Kanul Gindol
Pengerusi Gindol Initiative for Civil Society Borneo
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