SABAH SULUKS NOT TO AID RAIDERS

CONFERENCE.....Akjan and PEKIDA Sabah leaders at the press conference.

By : SAMANTHA RAE

KOTA KINABALU: Don’t provide any form of assistance to the intruders from Sulu and Pekida leaders and members in Sabah have been advised.

Pekida Sabah Chairman Dr Datu Mohd Akjan Datu Ali Muhammad made these remarks Sunday they should instead provide support and assistance they could to the Malaysian security forces, to prevent the intruders from slipping into other parts of the state.

PEKIDA is the Malaysian Islamic Welfare and Sermon Organisation.

Speaking at a news conference held in Kg Likas, Akjan reminded its 80,000 members who are mostly from the Tausug (Suluk) community that they are Malaysian citizens and therefore should always place their allegiance to Malaysia.

“Our loyalty is to Malaysia and its sovereignty and therefore we should be among the first to step forward to defend the country, when she faces threats from outside.

“As the Chairman of PEKIDA Sabah, I wish to reiterate that our loyalty is always with the Yang Di Pertuan Agong, our beloved King and the government of the day.

“We shall go all out to protect our beloved Sabah homeland in any way we can, even if we have to sacrifice our lives,” he said.

Akjan who himself is a Tausug told reporters that since the onset of the intrusion by the armed militants from Sulu who proclaimed themselves as followers of the self-proclaimed Sultan of Sulu Jamalul Kiram III more than three weeks ago, a majority of the Tausugs (Suluk) in Sabah have expressed their disgust and objection to the action of Jamalul Kiram III and the group.

TRUCK.....An army truck towing a howitzer into Felda Sahabat in Lahad Datu to be used against the terrorists.

“Hence, together with many of the Tausug (Suluk) leaders and members who are here with me today, we strongly condemn the intrusion by the so-called Royal Army of Sulu Sultanate, whose action, to us are no different than that of a bunch of terrorists.

“Actually they are not Tausug (Suluk) people, they are just nationals of the Republic of Philippines like Jamalul Kiram III himself,” he said.

He also unequivocally warned Jamalul Kiram III and his followers not to make use of Sabah Claim as a lame excuse to come to Sabah to hold the Government of Malaysia and its people to ransom.

“To us, this is nothing but a form of terrorism, and as a Muslim, we are really ashamed of their cruel actions against our police commandos who are of the same faith, we express our great sympathy and condolence to the families of our beloved soldiers, may ALLAH bless them.

“And we the Tausug (Suluk) community in Sabah also strongly reject the so-called Sabah claim by Jamalul Kiram III and his followers. The United Nation (UN) and the entire world recognize the fact that Sabah has been a part of Malaysia since 1963. We the Tausug (Suluk) community have been living in peace and harmony together with many other ethnic groups in Sabah ever since and there’s absolutely no way we want to be part of the Philippines. So, please stop using Sabah Claim to create troubles here,” he said.

He thus reiterated that the Tausug (Suluk) community in Sabah will not be in any way influenced by the ridiculous propaganda of Jamalul Kiram III and the intruders, and would do whatever it takes to protect their Sabah homeland.

“Our leaders and members are ready to be called to the frontline to assist our security forces anytime, if required,” he said.

Besides this, Akjan also said the Tausug community in Sabah fully supports the firm ‘no ceasefire’ stand of the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak

“Such a stand clearly reflected our Prime Minister’s determination and commitment towards the security of the people, and the “sovereignty” of the state Sabah within Malaysia,” he said.

He also claimed to have been informed by Datu Albi Ahmad Julkarnian, the Chairman cum Advisor of the Rumah-Rumah Bicara of the Sulu Sultanate that the armed intrusion by Jamalul Kiram III was never endorsed by them.

Besides this, Akjan also urged Malaysian especially those in Sabah not to label the Suluk community in the state as terrorists just because a group of people from the same ethnicity had committed a crime against the state and country.

Currently, it was estimated that there are about 756,000 suluks in Sabah who are eligible to vote.

When asked on if he had any advice for the intruders, Akjan responded by making an appeal:

“To our brothers in Islam from the Southern Philippines, I in the name of Allah implore for all of you to lay down your arms and return to your homeland unconditionally without any demands or illogical requests.

“Refusal to do so will only complicate the matter for you as the Sulu Sultanate is part of the Muslim’s ‘Ketuanan Melayu’. You cannot attack Malaysia because it is part of ‘Ketuanan Melayu’,” Akjan said.  (Borneo Insider)