Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis (Warisan-Kota Belud) said the issue was not whether the government recognised the proceedings but that further action should be taken by filing a police report against Spanish arbitrator Gonzalo Stampa and the claimants.
“My question is why did the arbitration court decide in favour of the claimants. Malaysia must lodge a police report on a conspiracy between Stampa and the heirs of the Sultan of Sulu.
“We must act to set aside this order. I’m also disappointed that my motion to discuss this matter was rejected,” she told the Dewan Rakyat today.
“Who is Sabah in the eyes of the federal government? Are we not important? Now Malaysia has been ordered to settle this large amount.”
Earlier, Ahmad Hassan (Warisan-Papar) asked the government for its stance on the decision by the arbitration court, following claims of a breach of the 1878 Deed of Cession signed between the then Sultan of Sulu with the then maharaja of Sabah, Baron de Overbeck, and Alfred Dent of the British North Borneo Company.
Under the contract, the Sultan of Sulu ceded sovereignty of his territory in North Borneo, now part of Sabah, to Dent and Overbeck.
Law minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar responded to the opposition MPs, saying that Malaysia rejected the decision based on the letter of the law.
He said Stampa’s appointment as arbitrator had been revoked by a Spanish court following the decision of the Sabah and Sarawak High Court on Jan 14, 2020 that the 1878 Agreement did not contain any provisions for arbitration.
“We have taken appropriate action to safeguard the country’s sovereignty,” he said.
Isnaraissah, however, did not accept Wan Junaidi’s explanation, and asked for the matter to be debated.
“That is why Malaysia must take firm action. This is why we want to discuss this. This is not a matter of under-equipped schools or clogged drains, this is a matter of national sovereignty,” she said.
Dewan Rakyat Speaker Azhar Harun then asked Isnaraissah to calm down and said Wan Junaidi had already replied to all her questions.
“YB, calm down, I think it has been answered. It’s not within my function as Speaker to explain his replies to you here,” he said.
Yesterday, the foreign ministry and the Attorney-General’s Chambers in a joint statement said the Malaysian government had rejected the order to pay US$14.92 billion to the heirs of the Sultan of Sulu.
Earlier, a Spanish news agency reported that Stampa had ordered Malaysia to pay compensation to the heirs of the Sulu Sultanate.
Malaysia was alleged to have not paid cession money since 2013, allegedly violating the 1987 Agreement between Sultan Jamal Al-Alam, Overbeck and Dent.