‘Window of opportunity’
NOW that the Republic of the Philippines has a brand new president, this may be an opportune time for Malaysia to take a proactive stance in terms of persuading the Philippines to drop its claim over Sabah. The claim must not be allowed to be a perennial hindrance to good relations between the neighbours.
The leaders need to sit down, four eyes met, and focus attention on a common roadmap: the economic development of the region bounded by the Sulu Sea.
Time spent on planning for the exploitation of the natural resources of the region would be more productive than the time spent on haggling over ownership of Sabah.
As long as this futile claim is not abandoned, the future generations of politicians from both countries will continue to be at loggerheads, wasting valuable time and precious resources.
Not the sort of legacy that genuine statesmen of any country would want their children to inherit, is it?
We are looking forward to the inaugural address of President Marcos Jr – hopefully, he would not specifically touch on pursuing that claim. We need a positive signal as a good starting point for discussion – hopefully, it would be an ominous signal that Malaysia should note in a positive light.
As soon as circumstances permit, invite the President of the Philippines to Malaysia; and our own top leader may get invited to Manila after that. Those will be ground-breaking moments, when our leaders are on personal talking terms; it will be the beginning from which to pave the way for a closer rapport between the neighbours for many years to come.
In the past, Malaysia had tried its hand at mediating in what was an internal political problem between the Moros and their government leaders in Manila. However, that Malaysian role has long ended. Times have changed and new leaders are at the helm in these countries.
It is time for them to think in terms of a bigger picture for the sake of the younger generations of Filipinos and Malaysian leaders.
The present leaders of these countries must have the foresight to ensure that the next respective generations of Filipino and Malaysian leaders will not be burdened with an endless quarrel over ownership of Sabah any more.
The claim must be solved, if possible, during the first term of Marcos Jr’s presidency. A tall order, but a start has to be made now. The situation may change after that.
Time, therefore, is of the essence; otherwise, in a predatory world, the claim may be exploited by a third party to the detriment of both countries and their people.
As neighbours, Malaysia and the Republic of Philippines should make the most of the prevailing peace time during which to pursue common interests: the economic welfare and educational advancement of the respective people, especially those who have lived in the region bounded by the Sulu Sea.
The sea between the two countries is full of natural resources – marine, mineral, you name it.
More attention should be paid to the economic exploitation of these resources for the benefit of all the stakeholders.
However, it is vital, and this is my point really, that in the planning and in the execution of development plans, the locals, especially the young people, must be brought on board. After all, they are also the stakeholders.
Often, in many parts of the world, ‘small people’ such as them are being marginalised.
Show the world that we are different.
I’m thinking of the Tausug, the Bajau, the Iranun, the Rungus and many other inhabitants living for generations on the coasts of the littoral states. They must have an equitable share of the products of the exploitation of the resources of the region.
True, large amount of money is required for funding development projects, but this is a relatively simple problem to solve. It would be easier to obtain funding where there is prevailing peace in the region. When leaders of both countries have a common desire to see their people prosper, investors from the Philippines and Malaysia themselves would be the first to invest in the viable projects.
In addition, have you not thought of possible investments from Brunei Darussalam and from Indonesia? My guess is that Brunei and Indonesia have an inherent interest in the security of the entire region.
The new capital of the Republic of Indonesia will be accessible to international trade – more or less, playing the role of a vital route like the good old days of the spice trade. Safe shipping route is vital for international trade.
From Nusantara, the Sulu Sea is linked in the north, and beyond Palawan there is the South China Sea. On the north-east, there lies the Pacific Ocean. Together, this region of the world is of great geopolitical importance indeed.
These countries – Brunei, Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia – will be all linked in more ways than one. Depending on how farsighted their present generation leaders are, in synergising their energies and talents in working together, the younger generations of people in these countries will reap what their elders have sowed – bad or good.