The Sulu intrusion in Sabah has been complex and not so easy to follow, so let's review the key points before detonating the latest bombshell dropped by a leader from the Malaysian Opposition, Rafizi Ramli.
The Royal Sultanate of Sulu invaded Sabah, Malaysia on the 9thFeb 2013. 200 of its finest warriors led by the Crown Prince Azzimudie Karim himself and an experienced General of the Royal Sulu Army managed to sneak into Sabah without valid papers and without being detected. They then set up camp in a village called Kampong Tanduo while the Malaysian authorities apparently snored.
These elite warriors were reported to be highly trained in jungle warfare. Equipped with a special 'magical' amulet, some of them claimed to be invincible and can single-handedly take out whole battalions of soldiers.
Eye witnesses have sworn that these warriors can disappear before their very eyes and reappear behind enemy front lines, while those captured after being shot, showed no sign of injuries or open wounds. This is how dreaded and fearsome the Royal Army of Sulu has become in the minds of many of the Sabahans, especially those who live near to Kampong Tanduo..
Reclaiming their birthright
The Sulu gunmen said they came to reclaim their 'rightful' land and to settle in Sabah permanently. They took pains to assure Sabahans that they come in peace. All they wanted is to share this wonderful land with Sabahans, including all its riches and spoils which amounts to a cool RM226 billion. With this vast amount of money there would be no more poor Muslim Filipinos, according to the pretty Princess Jacel Karim of the Sulu Sultanate.
They also intended to turn Sabah into part of the Sultanate of Sulu. Sabahans have the option to be their loyal subjects of the Sulu Sultan or leave the State voluntarily.
The Malaysian government said they initially took a soft approach to the invasion chiefly because the invaders were Muslims and had agreed to negotiate a peaceful solution. However, this rather soft approach wasn't quite credible to Malaysians, who were surprised at how patient and willing to delay their authorities were.
After three weeks of unfruitful negotiations, the Malaysian Government finally gave an ultimatum - leave in peace and we'll provide you with a safety corridor and as for your weapons, we'll bury them.
A Suicidal Mission
However, His Royal Highness the Sultan of Sulu, Jamalul Karim III, refused to stand down and ordered his little army not to surrender but to fight to the last drop of blood for their honour.
From his humble Palace in Taguig City, Manila which consists of a double storey house, and surrounded by his loyal courtiers, he issued decree after decree to his royal army to stay put and resist the enemy.
This of course put the Malaysian Government in a very uncomfortable position as they had been assuring their people they were confident of being able to resolve the standoff without any bloodshed.,
Events took a turn for the worse, when a total of 8 Malaysian servicemen were gunned down in cold blood and some were found mutilated. Overnight, irate Malaysians called on the Government to take swift punitive action to end the crisis.
Conflicting statements from the Palace
The Sultan’s daughter Princess Jacel Karim was totally unhappy that her Royal Army had been branded ‘terrorists.’ She denied that there was any conspiracy involved in the decision of her family and their followers to reclaim Sabah.
“Please remain... this is honour above life,” she was quoted as saying in a report on Philippine media network ABN-CBS News website. “Their only wish is to stay there... it is their home, they want to live there peacefully.”
She said that if there was any conspiracy, it was between President Aquino’s government and the political party of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO).
Lately, Jacel Karim has also taken to calling on Malaysia to prove itself as a true Muslim country by ceding Sabah back to the Sultanate. She pointed out that the Islamic faith considers it a sin to steal the land of others or to pilfer from it.
She has insisted that her family was not after money but was looking for a brighter future for their family and their followers. She pointed out that her father Jamalul was even once offered the post of President of Philippines in exchange for dropping his claim on Sabah but declined the post out of principle.
She even maintained that it was about honour and integrity, not just for the Sulu Sultanate but all of the Philippines.
After that, conflicting statements issued by Sultan Kiram III and his aides seem to have gotten more ridiculous when another “crown prince” of Sulu claimed in a press conference that Jacel was no longer allowed to issue statements.
According to him, this was in keeping with rules on women under the Syariah law. Ahh... what a total anti-climax just as things were getting juicier!
The Sultan of Sulu
The Sultan of Sulu has vehemently denied the number of casualties claimed by the Malaysian Government, saying that not more than 10 Royal Army soldiers had perished based on their sophisticated military ‘intel.’
Jamalul also called for Malaysia to allow independent reporters to substantiate the claims, and for the United Nations to send peacemakers to Sabah.
As the bodies began to pile up, the worried Sultan called for disengagement or a Ceasefire. But then backtracking on his words just a few days later, he said that surrender was not an option.
Purportedly descending from a long list of past Sulu royalty, Jamalul has lamented that he is the poorest Sultan in the world. Along with 50 other claimants to the elusive Sulu throne, he insists that he is the rightful heir to the throne.
Malaysia too is proud that we also have our very own Sultan of Sulu, Mohd Akjan Ali Muhammad, who crowned himself some 2 years in the presence of some 60 witnesses. This self-proclaimed Sultan - who is also a Malaysian businessman at other times - was once detained under the ISA. However, today he resides in Sabah and is chairman of the state's Malaysian Islamic Welfare and Sermon Organisation (Pekida).
Many Malaysians have been bestowed dubious ‘Datukships’ from the many different Sultans of Sulu. Many have questioned whether these fake ‘Datukships’ should be recognized. With over 50 self-proclaimed Sultan of Swing, er...I mean Sultans of Sulu hanging around, it really is difficult to prove if any rightful heirs actually exist!
Even many of the foreign media have written off Sultan Jamalul Karim III as a fake.
It’s all about the money, right?
Why would a Sultanate with a long and proud tradition, reigning over the Sulu Archipelago which consists of hundreds of islands suddenly out of the blue, want to repossess Sabah? Why are they suddenly complaining about the token sum or cessation fee paid by the Malaysian Government?
What took him so long to realise that the token sum of RM5,300 isn’t enough? RM5300 is indeed a princely sum, and if spent wisely it should suffice to run a small kingdom like the one in Taguig City for a few months at least.
The Sultanate of Sulu has existed for many generations in the Sulu Islands carrying their proud tradition and heritage, and they should be well to do. But where are all the millions of loyal Sulu subjects? Gone are the days of piracy in the high seas, plunder and conquests of the islands. What happened to all that buried treasure?
It is high time for Jamalul and his family to seriously get decent jobs. He should stop playing Sultan fidgeting in his royal 'throne', pacing the floor of his Palace like a delusional man. He should also stop building castles in the air or try to build one in Sabah.
Whatever sparked his sudden craze - even if he was paid to do so as alleged by many quarters - he should now cease. Too many lives have been lost. He must shed his uninhibited illusions of grandeur and come down to earth. He should also stop trying to extort Malaysia for more compensation
Enraged Malaysians and conspiracy theories
Now, they have embarrassed the Malaysian Government, leaving them in a black and surly mood. No less than 8 of the captured gunmen are being tried for waging war on the King and two will face the death sentence if found guilty.
Filipino Malaysians are also angry at the Malaysian Government for ill-handling the crisis, and it may cause Prime Minister Najib Razak a lot of votes.
Why is the Philippines government taking so long to haul up the Sultan and his cohorts and charge them for stirring up an international incident resulting in the deaths of scores of innocent victims?
Some say these impostors’ must be extradited to Malaysia to face war crimes, murder, mayhem and destroying the economy of Sabah. Their thoughtless actions have caused untold harm to other innocent Filipinos residing in Sabah. They have also caused the citizens of both countries to eye each other with distrust and contempt.
Others blame the Malaysian government especially former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad for being the ultimate root cause of this problem. If not for his infamous Project I.C. that gave hundreds of thousands of illegal Filipino workers citizenship so that they would vote for BN, this problem may not have cropped up.
Did we kill our own citizens?
It looks like the second group may be correct based on the latest revelations by Rafizi Ramli, a sharp and fast-rising leader in the Malaysian Opposition. On Thursday, Rafizi dropped a bombshell. According to him, Crown Prince Azzimudie Karim is a actually a Malaysian citizen and was even a former civil servant! Imagine!
So as Rafizi has demanded of the Malaysian authorities, is it true the 200 odd gunmen at Kampong Tanduo were Malaysian citizens after all? Is that why they could slip in unnoticed?
Err... so far, all we have is total silence from the Najib administration. So it looks like Rafizi may have hit bulls-eye again. If true, what does this mean? Well, it means that the bungling Najib administration has been killing its own citizens while branding them as foreign militants!
Oh Dr M, how could you!
Worse, and we don't mean to frighten you, it also means that we face a threat from within, i.e. a threat to Malaysia's national security. It is a real serious one and the reason why many Malaysians, especially Sabahans, have demanded that the book be thrown at Mahathir Mohamad for treason.
"The confirmation (by the Sulu sultanate) raises worries among many quarters whether the armed group in Lahad Datu involves Malaysians originating from the Philippines who hold blue identity cards,” Rafizi, who is the PKR strategy director, said in a statement today.
“This matter raises the possibility of threats to national security, as a result from certain parties allegedly linked to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who allegedly gave citizenship without due process."
Apparently, in Mahathir's eagerness to cling to power and win at elections, he allegedly gave away millions of citizenship to illegals without due process, thereby exposing his country to the grave danger of infiltration by external forces. There is actually an ongoing Royal Commission of Inquiry into this citizenship-for-votes scam and Mahathir has admitted doing so although he claims it is not illegal.
Sheeshh ... what a foul up! Sabah is a fixed-deposit for the BN Government and BN is not going to cede an inch of territory to any Tom, Dick and Karim. But it may not have. The people of Sabah may decide to 'cede' the BN government away this coming general election!
That would put a stop to their bungling ways and Serves them Right, I say! What about you?
Malaysia Chronicle
