AN UMNO leader has urged Putrajaya – in particular the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) – to provide a complete and transparent explanation over the compensation demands by the heirs of the Sultan of Sulu in connection to their Sabah claim.
UMNO vice-president Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the people have the right to know what happened, and that nothing is more convincing than an official statement from the Government.
“Another alternative that can be considered is the establishment of a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI), which is the most neutral and open forum in researching and finding the truth on issues of national interest,” he said in a statement on Facebook.
However, he noted that whatever the approach taken by the Government, the main goal and focus should be to provide a proper explanation to the people.
“Failure to do so will inevitably spark a quarrel among political parties, especially among those who will not stop at nothing to make their own allegation on the matter,” he said, adding that the issue has the potential to be a serious security threat to the country.
Khaled also said that many people had blamed the Government under Barisan Nasional for its decision to stop paying the annual cession money to the heirs of the Sulu Sultanate in 2013, while others had blamed Pakatan Harapan for their actions and negligence during its 22-month reign.
“Each party has their own perspective and version [of the truth]. Some are based on facts while others merely refer to a compilation of press reports and statements from previous leaders,” he remarked.
“People are confused. They don’t know which version of the story to trust, and which version is the truth. In this case I believe that the people deserve the truth – one that is without any political interference or manipulation based on certain parties’ self-interest.”
On Tuesday (July 12), it was reported that two Petronas subsidiaries in Azerbaijan had been seized by bailiffs after a French arbitration court ruled in March that Malaysia had to pay the descendants of the Sultan of Sulu at least RM62.59 bil.
The Financial Times reported that the move to seize Petronas’ Luxembourg-registered subsidiaries, Petronas Azerbaijan (Shah Deniz) and Petronas South Caucasus, is part of legal efforts launched in 2017 by the heirs to receive compensation over land in Sabah they said their ancestor leased to a British trading company in 1878.
The British daily reported that bailiffs in Luxembourg seized the holding companies, estimated to be worth more than RM8.87 bil on behalf of their clients on Monday. – July 15, 2022
Main photo credit: Kosmo
