Under fire, Najib urges PH's ex-ministers to confirm whether they discussed Sulu claim
Published on: Tuesday, July 19, 2022
By:
FMT, Robin Augustin
.jpg "Under fire, Najib urges PH's ex-ministers to confirm whether they discussed Sulu claim")
Former prime minister Najib Razak said it was clear who was responsible for the ‘mess’ over the claims by the Sulu sultanate’s heirs. (Bernama pic)
PETALING JAYA: Former prime minister Najib Razak has urged members of the Pakatan Harapan (PH)-era Cabinet to confirm if they ever discussed the claims by the Sulu sultanate’s heirs.
“This is very important. Rafizi Ramli has mobilised PKR members to help get to the bottom of this issue, I think he needs help,” he told FMT.
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“That’s why it is important that PH leaders support him on this mission,” said Najib, when asked to comment on Rafizi’s police report against him.
Earlier today, the PKR deputy president lodged a report against Najib’s alleged negligence in 2017 in relation to claims by the heirs of the Sulu sultanate.
Najib said he had no issue with Rafizi’s move to lodge a report against him as the facts were clear as to who was responsible for the “mess we are in today”.
The Pekan MP said although he was prime minister in 2017, the claim by the Sulu sultanate’s heirs had not gone to arbitration at the time.
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“Then, they only had the intention to file for arbitration. The arbitration notice was sent after May 2018 when PH took over the reins of Putrajaya.
“The Superior Court of Justice in Madrid only appointed Gonzalo Stampa as the arbitrator for the case on May 22, 2019.
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“Two months later, on July 30, an arbitration notice was submitted to the government through the foreign affairs ministry seeking claims amounting to US$32 billion. How can I be negligent when I was not in power?”
Najib said according to former attorney-general Tommy Thomas, the PH government did not discuss the claims nor the letter he sent to the representatives of the Sulu sultanate’s heirs on the matter in 2019.
“This was reported by Utusan Malaysia. In the report, YB Lim Guan Eng and Datuk Redzuan Yusof confirmed what Thomas said.
“So why didn’t the PH Cabinet discuss such an important issue that affects our sovereignty? Were they in the dark or didn’t they care? This is why the former PH ministers need to confirm that they did not discuss or act on the matter.”
Najib previously urged Thomas to explain a letter he wrote to the Sulu heirs in 2019 expressing regret that Malaysia had not paid them since 2013. According to the letter, Thomas offered to settle the multi-billion dollar claim with an RM48,000 compensation payment.
The letter was subsequently used by lawyers representing the Sulu heirs as proof that Malaysia recognised the claims.
Najib also defended his decision to stop the yearly RM5,300 cession payment to the Sulu heirs after the Lahad Datu incursion in 2013 which Rafizi said was proof of his negligence.
“It was the right thing to do. I must point out that various PH leaders including Tun (Dr Mahathir Mohamad) and the late Karpal Singh also called for these payments to be stopped.”
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