The Sulu-Sabah fiasco: Tommy Thomas and Pakatan Harapan fooked-up bigtime
And now Malaysia is in deep shit because of Tommy Thomas and Pakatan Harapan. Pergi mengaku salah buat apa? Sabah was granted to Gustavus Baron von Overbeck and Alfred Dent by the Sultan of Brunei lah, not by the Sultan of Sulu.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
I have noticed many Malaysians saying history is not important. No need to talk about what happened in the past, they say, only the future matters.
That is not entirely true. If not because of what happened in the past, Malays would still be Hindus today. It was the Indians who brought Hinduism to the Malay Archipelago, and the Indians who also brought Islam to what today is known as Malaysia.
Yes, it was the Indians, not the Arabs, who brought Islam to the Malays, as much as many people insist it was the Arabs and not the Indians. But then, as I said, Malaysians, in particular Malays, know nuts about history.
Hence, we need to study history to understand why the Hindu Malays became Muslims. Some might argue that Malays became Muslims because Islam is the true religion. But if the Malays had remained Hindus, they would have said the same thing — that Hinduism is the true religion.
Tommy Thomas is another example of someone who knows nuts about history. And he knows even less about the law. That is why Tommy Thomas admitted liability and opened the gates for the heirs of the Sultan of Sulu to claim back Sabah, or compensation for renting out Sabah.
Tommy Thomas should have at the same time admitted that Sarawak belongs to the Sultan of Brunei. Then, since Sabah to and Sarawak are no longer part of Malaysia, Umno no longer need worry about the 56 Sabah/Sarawak parliament seats. Umno needs to focus only on the 166 Peninsular Malaysia seats and Barisan Nasional needs to win only 84 seats to form the government, or 110 seats to get a two-thirds majority in parliament.
Those who kutuk me because I always talk about history will pay the price of their kejahilan
Tommy Thomas was ignorant of the fact that the Sultan of Brunei, Sultan Abdul Mumin Ebn Marhoum Maulana Abdul Wahab, signed four treaties and a commission on 29th December 1877, granting Gustavus Baron de Overbeck and Alfred Dent Esquire of London parts of North Borneo (as Sabah was called before Malaysia was formed in 1963).
A month later, on 22nd January 1878, the Sultan of Sulu, Sultan Jamal Al Alam, signed a treaty with von Overbeck and Dent granting parts of North Borneo to the two businessmen.
In summary, Baron von Overbeck and Alfred Dent acquired parts of North Borneo from the Sultan of Brunei and not from the Sultan of Sulu.
Hence Malaysia was right in stopping the payments, as there was no consideration or balasan for the so-called cession agreement. The Sulu Sultanate had nothing to grant to the then Tanah Melayu.
If even a simple blogger such as Yang Mulia Raja Petra Al Haj Bin Raja Kamarudin ibni Raja Sir Tun Uda can spot this, how come Malaysia’s Attorney-General, or rather Pakatan Harapan’s Attorney-General, who bragged he has 42-years-experience as a top-notch lawyer, miss this very basic fact, which a first-year law student could spot?
Tommy Thomas practically admitted liability and his “regret” over non-payments to the Sultan of Sulu’s descendants, among others, is repeatedly cited in the 297-point arbitration judgment.
And now Malaysia is in deep shit because of Tommy Thomas and Pakatan Harapan. Pergi mengaku salah buat apa? Sabah was granted to Gustavus Baron von Overbeck and Alfred Dent by the Sultan of Brunei lah, not by the Sultan of Sulu.
Ex-AG Thomas’ letter the backbone of decision threatening seizure of Malaysia’s wealth abroad
Tommy Thomas’ regret over non-payments to the Sulus, among others, is repeatedly cited in the 297-point arbitration judgment.
(Malaysia Now) – Former attorney-general Tommy Thomas’ written response to lawyers appointed by a group claiming to be the heirs of the Sulu sultanate appears to be the backbone of an arbitration decision that now threatens the forfeiture of billions in Malaysian assets abroad.
A study of the 297-point arbitration decision shows at least a dozen mentions or citations from Thomas’ letter, as Spanish arbitrator Gonzalo Stampa sought to justify the unusual award to the claimants. (READ MORE HERE)
Ex-AG made ‘fatal mistake” over Sulu debt, says lawyer
(FMT) – In the 2019 letter to the lawyers of the Sulu heirs (sighted by FMT), Thomas attached a copy of a 1939 judgement by the North Borneo High Court, and said Malaysia did not dispute the identity of the individuals and their right to be paid.
Thomas also regretted that payments to the heirs had ceased in 2013, and added that Malaysia was “now ready and willing” to pay the heirs all arrears from 2013 to 2019 amounting to RM48,300. (READ MORE HERE)
