Rizal, North Borneo, and the Sultan of Sulu (Part 2)

In the first part of my blog, I revealed a startling possibility. What if Jose Rizal's plan to set up a Filipino community in North Borneo succeeded? Let's finish this topic: 

Rizal, the "Hero of the Malay Race" had planned to transfer his fellowmen from Calamba, Laguna to North Borneo, British Empire. This is to uplift his fellowmen from extreme poverty at the hands of the of the religious Dominicans and Spanish governors. (Much of the Philippines back then was still a Spanish colony.) Assuming that 90% of the townsfolk moved to North Borneo, there would probably be 100,000 Filipinos in North Borneo today. (The author has failed to find statistical data on the population of Calamba during Rizal's time.) 

Rizal was an able and progressive-minded leader. (Capino et al., 1995) His project in North Borneo would had saved his fellow Filipinos from hunger and persecutions. Indeed, the British were economically better colonizers than the Spanish. Rizal himself said in a letter dated February 23, 1892: “if it is impossible for me to give my country liberty. I should like to give it at least to these noble countrymen of mine in other lands” 

Having a large number of Filipinos in Sabah because of Rizal's North Borneo project would have a tremendous influence on the Manila Accord (1963 Agreement) which is in accordance to the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1541. In the said agreement, the people of Sabah themselves decided to join Malaysia rather than the Sulu Sultanate of the Philippines. If the Rizalian plan succeeded, then it is likely (not 100% sure) that the people in Sabah opted to join the Philippines instead. Sabah would had been part of the Philippines and would be a prosperous province of it.

Conclusion

I do not want to disappoint or to offend anyone, but what I have presented here is a probable, though hypothetical situation. History cannot be changed, folks. What I presented was meant for increase awareness of the connection between Rizal, North Borneo and the Sultan of Sulu. Right now, if the people of Sabah, though ethnically related to Filipinos, is happy to be part of Malaysia, then let them stay in Malaysia. We are all Malays. History proves that even Manila used to be a Malay state called "Kota Seludong" (lit. Seludong City) I do not close the possibility that one day Sabah will also be open to Filipinos as well, this might happen. Who knows? My opinion is that the Sulu Sultanate should be transformed into a multinational state subject to both the Federation of Malaysia and of the Republic of the Philippines. This would probably end the dispute of the sovereignty over North Borneo. Until then, let there be peace. To my Malaysian reader, Selamat sejahtera!

Rizal, North Borneo and the Sultan of Sulu (Part 1)

Many people, including myself, were surprised by the recent move of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III to re-assert their claim on Sabah, located on the eastern side of Malaysia. This issue, called the "North Borneo dispute", is actually an on-going territorial dispute between Malaysia and the Philippines. More information about the issue can be found here. (use the citations inside Wikipedia if you want verification).

I am a Filipino, born in Marikina. However, I am neutral in this dispute. Normally, if I was (if ever) assigned to arbitrate between Malaysia and the Philippines and decide on the real owner of Sabah, I would ask the people of Sabah themselves. Only they have the power to decide on which sovereign nation should they adhere. However, in this case, the decision of the people of Sabah did side with Malaysia, as expected. Take note that North Borneo was leased (or ceded, in the unscrupulous British version) to the British North Borneo Company in 1878. As what one would expect, Sabah became culturally closer to Malaysia than towards the Sulu Sultanate. Another factor which I believe is influencing the decision of Sabah is the current state of economy of the Philippines. "Why join the Philippines when you're already part of the more-prosperous Malaysian Federation?" they probably thought. (The decision of the people of Sabah took place when the Philippines was a top economy of Asia, as Singapore and Hong Kong were still not independent countries.)

What makes me wonder is that Malaysia continues to pay "rent" to the Sulu Sultans. If it really owns Sabah, then why pay rent? Isn't it that the Sultanate of Sulu is already defunct?

What if the Rizalian Plan on North Borneo succeeded?

The famous Filipino hero and polymath Jose Rizal once tried to "colonize" North Borneo in 1892. The National Historical Institute of the Philippines gives this summary:

The colonization project of Rizal in Sabah was a response to the Calamba’s land crisis which all started when Governor- General Terrero released a directive for the investigation of the friar estates to resolve the agrarian problems on the collection of land taxes and tenancy. Rizal was requested by the tenants of Calamba to conduct an investigation on hacienda owned by the Dominicans in Calamba and he submitted it to the Governor-General for appropriate actions. He found out that the hacienda of the Dominican Order comprised not only the lands around Calamba, but the whole town of Calamba.


On his trip to Hong Kong, Rizal by chance met an Englishman Mr. W.B. Pryor and his wife, who were on their way to Sabah (North Borneo) to whom Rizal had shared his idea of a Filipino settlement in Sabah. The owner of the territory, the Sultan of [Sulu] had it leased to the North Borneo Company in 1878 and was duly recognized by Spain, Germany and England with the condition that Spanish sovereignty over the island of Jolo will be honored. What was in the mind of Rizal that he desired to establish Filipino community in Sabah? He said in his letter to Blumentritt on February 23, 1892: “if it is impossible for me to give my country liberty. I should like to give it at least to these noble countrymen of mine in other lands”. (Palafox)

See? Rizal had planed to set up a Filipino community in Sabah, in order to escape the persecutions of the not-so-ethical Dominican order and of the Spanish government. Palafox, of NHI, continues:

The North Borneo Company offered permanent settlement for the emigrants and the sale or lease of lands for 999 years. None of the settlers would render free labor or be forced to serve in the military except [when] the territory’s sovereignty is in threat. They would rule themselves with their own laws under the safeguard of the Company. In March, Rizal received a favorable sign when Mr. Pryor saw that Sabah needed manpower, and so he invited Rizal to come over to Sandakan. The company offered to undertake construction of buildings and planting of orchards, all payable in three years. Rizal in the absence of the governor of the island entered negotiations with the acting Secretary of the Government, Mister Cook, who also had to specify in writing the conditions of the settlement. He was received by the Governor on April 6, 1892, and on the following day he left for Hong Kong on board the Memnon.

What could have happened if the Spanish allowed this project to continue? Will Sabah be both a state under the auspices of the Malay Federation and the Philippines?


(TO BE CONTINUED...)

The Sabah Standoff: A Personal Opinion

I personally conducted extensive research about the historical Sultanate of Sulu over the past few days because of the reported standoff between Malaysian police and alleged "Filipino gunmen". Here is an excerpt of the report I have written in Wikipedia:

On February 12, 2013, a group of reportedly armed Filipino gunmen illegally entered the small town of Lahad Datu located on the island of Borneo in the Malaysian state of Sabah, saying they have links with the now-defunct Sultanate of Sulu in the Philippines. ^[25] Malaysian police and army officials secured the village asking the alleged intruders to peacefully leave. Officials of the Malaysian government said they suspected the men were a faction of a Philippine Muslim rebel group. The Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs denied the Malaysian claim, stating that the intruders were unarmed Filipinos who had been promised land. ^[26] [27]

After reading this, my interest in the history of the Sulu Sultanate sparked up. I then noticed that the Wikipedia article of the sultanate is incomplete and outdated. As I tried to improve the article, I met some obstacles, namely, the lack of credible sources and conflicting claims on the identity of the real pretender to the throne. A certain Muedzul Lail Tan Kiram claims to be the rightful pretender, even showing documents purportedly issued by then-President Cory Aquino. The outdated Wikipedia article lists Jamalul Kiram III as the "current" sultan. However, I doubted this as he was reportedly crowned during the later years of the Marcos era. Finally, after reading newspaper articles, I found out that Esmail (Ismael) Dalus Kiram II is the current ''de facto'' recognized pretender to the throne. I did the honor of writing an encyclopedic article about him in Wikipedia, as follows:

Ismael Kiram II is the current Sultan of Sulu ^[1] in Sulu, southern Philippines. He was designated as Sultan in 1999 and was subsequently crowned in 2001. He is the currently recognized heir of the Sulu Sultanate, as other unrecognized heirs and pretenders to the throne continue to claim the heritage of the now-defunct sultanate. ^[2]

Ismael Kiram II Royal House of Sulu
Titles in pretence
Preceded by Mohammad Akijal Atti	— TITULAR — Sultan of Sulu 1999 with Jamalul Kiram III 1999-2012 Reason for succession failure: Sultanate abolished in 1917	Incumbent Heir: Rajah Mudah Agbimuddin Kiram

Opinion (A Possible Solution):
The incident made me aware of the complex political situation in Sabah, Malaysia. I personally believe that an autonomous "multinational state" (subject to both Malaysia and the Philippines) be set up in Sabah and Sulu to finally finish the North Borneo dispute. In layman's term, "why not share the land?"

I shall explain my theory in simple words:
1. The Sultanate of Sulu (if possible, merged with the Bangsamoro Sultanate) shall comprise of North Borneo and the Sulu Archipelago. This state shall be part of BOTH the Republic of the Philippines and the Malaysian Federation.
2. All citizens of the Sulu Sultanate shall be legally considered Malaysian AND Filipino.
3. The Royal House of Sulu shall officially be recognized as the ruling house.
4. All citizens of the Sultanate shall be given a passport that will allow them to enter both Malaysia and the Philippines at will.