PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has dismissed claims that Malaysia ceded 5,207 hectares of land to Indonesia as compensation for three villages in Nunukan, along the Sabah–Kalimantan border, describing the allegation as false and misleading.
He emphasised that Malaysia and Indonesia remain bound by long-standing agreements dating back to 1915, which form the basis of current border understandings.
According to Anwar, the area in question has consistently been recorded, since the 1915 agreement, as lying outside Malaysia’s recognised territorial claims.
While Malaysia has never formally certified the land as its own, it has also never laid claim to it, he clarified.
The Prime Minister made the remarks during a special parliamentary briefing in the Dewan Rakyat on issues related to the Malaysia–Indonesia border alignment.
He cautioned against making unfounded accusations, noting that such matters are highly sensitive, particularly as several border negotiations between the two countries are still ongoing.
Among the unresolved issues are five land boundary areas, intertidal zones in the Sabah–North Kalimantan sector, and four Outstanding Boundary Problems (OBP) in the Sarawak–West Kalimantan sector.
Anwar also referred to earlier opposition claims concerning the Ambalat maritime boundary, saying similar allegations had been made before negotiations were even concluded.
He stressed that public statements on such issues must be handled with care and responsibility, warning against using sensitive bilateral matters for narrow political advantage at the expense of Malaysia’s national interests and its relationship with Indonesia.
Reiterating his position, Anwar said the Ambalat issue remains unresolved and rejected suggestions that any Malaysian territory had been handed over, urging critics to rely on verified data and facts rather than speculation. —Feb 4, 2025
Main image: Anwar Ibrahim (Facebook)
