Former President Fidel V. Ramos on Wednesday advised President Benigno Aquino III to personally meet with Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III to address the ongoing conflict in Sabah.
In a television interview, Ramos said Aquino should have a one-on-one talk with Kiram to hear out the sultanate’s grievances.
“Kung may imbitasyon si Pangulong Aquino [from Kiram], e mag-usap na kayong dalawa nang masinsinan,” Ramos said.
Kiram’s followers are currently engaged in a battle with Malaysian authorities in Sabah, supposedly to assert the sultanate’s claim on what it calls its ancestral territory. Nearly 30 people have already been reported killed due to the fighting.
The Mindanao-based Islamic sultanate once controlled parts of Borneo, including the site of the standoff. The sultanate's heirs have been receiving a nominal yearly compensation package from Malaysia under a long-standing agreement for possession of Sabah.
In a televised statement last week, Aquino warned Kiram and his followers of possible violations of Philippine laws committed by the sultanate’s Royal Army in Sabah by engaging Malaysian authorities in a standoff.
Ramos, however, said the Aquino government should not label Kiram’s group as criminals to encourage them to retreat and return to the Philippines.
Ramos also appealed to Kiram’s followers to heed the Philippine government’s appeal for them to go back to Sulu. — Andreo C. Calonzo/KBK, GMA News
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