Sultanate’s Trump card

The Ruling Family of the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo, also known as the Bangsa Suluk Nation, is seeking support from US President Donald Trump to endorse the Sulu Sultanate Petition of 2004 based on the United States’ commitment under the 1915 Kiram-Carpenter Agreement.

According to a source close to the Sulu royal family, the 2004 petition, filed with the United Nations, aims to promote the interests, welfare and general well-being of the Sultanate’s constituents and the inhabitants of Sabah. The petition contends that Malaysia inherited only the leasehold rights acquired by the British North Borneo Company in 1878 when the Federation of Malaysia was established in 1963.

The late Senator Arturo Tolentino argued before the United Nations that these rights were those of a lessee, not of a sovereign nation.

The Sultanate is also seeking President Trump’s endorsement of a 2004 petition to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for $25 billion in damages against Malaysia. This claim is based on Malaysia’s exploitation of Sabah’s natural resources after annexing the disputed territory into the Malaysian Federation without the Sultanate’s consent, despite the provisions of the Kiram-Carpenter Treaty. The treaty assured US protection of the Sultanate’s ancestral territorial rights.

The Kiram-Carpenter Agreement, signed in Zamboanga on 22 March 1915, was a mutual accord between Hadji Mohammad Jamalul Kiram, representing the people of the Sulu Archipelago, and Frank W. Carpenter, then Governor of the Department of Mindanao and Sulu. The agreement, executed under the authority of Governor-General Francis Burton Harrison h during the presidency of Woodrow Wilson, required the Sultan to accept US sovereignty over Sulu and renounce his own sovereignty.

The $25 billion claim represents the estimated value of natural resources extracted from Sabah since its annexation in 1963.

“Since the Philippine government has opted out of the Sabah case, our only hope is for the US or China to endorse the petition and initiate deliberations at the ICJ,” said Idjirani, a representative of the Sultanate.

He emphasized that securing President Trump’s endorsement aligns with US objectives of safeguarding critical waterways globally. Idjirani added that the Sultanate’s ancestral territories include parts of the South China Sea and the Celebes Sea, once key routes of the ancient silk trade in the 17th century.

The 2004 resolution reaffirms the Sultan’s full sovereign, legal, and historical rights over North Borneo (Sabah) as of 18 September 2004. It also demands $25 billion in damages from Malaysia for the illegal exploitation of the disputed territory’s resources.

The Philippine government, however, has distanced itself from the dispute. Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra stated that the Philippines is not a party to the legal cases between the Sultanate of Sulu’s heirs and Malaysia.

This follows a French court’s dismissal of a separate $14.9 billion arbitral award in favor of the Sultanate’s heirs, which reignited discussions about leasing Sabah’s resource-rich territory to China or the Philippines.