COMMENT | The claims of the heirs of the Sulu Sultanate over Sabah or compensation in lieu of repossession lacks credibility in international law or even on the basis of the agreement signed between Sultan Mohamet Jamal Al Alam with Baron von Overbeck and Alfred Dent on Jan 22, 1878.

This extends to the government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) as the self-proclaimed de jure (i.e., in law or legal) successor to the Sulu Sultanate. In fact, that there are, in practice, two claimants only serve to complicate the matter.

Firstly, before proceeding any further, the GRP should formally pre-empt any claims made by the supposed heirs of the Sulu Sultanate (over Sabah) – by passing an act in its congress.

All matters pertaining to the claims should be strictly and exclusively between the two governments. There should be no direct contact – legal proceedings or otherwise – with the Sulu Sultanate heirs, which should only go through the GRP as mediator and intermediary, if at all.

By implication, this means that in future, the heirs of the Sulu Sultanate will be deprived of a locus standi (legal standing) to pursue their claims in court.

Furthermore, Asean unity and solidarity are...