Malaysians should not be unduly carried away by 'fly-by-night pretenders' whose real interest and purpose are shrouded under mysterious circumstances, said Filipino researcher Zakaria Abdullah.

The secretary-general of the Reinstitution and Decolonisation Secretariat was commenting on the anouncement by Rodinood Julaspi Kiram II, a claimant to the Sultanate of Sulu in Philippines, who wants to reclaim Sabah.

Last Monday, Rodinood reportedly told hundreds of his supporters in Quezon City, Manila, that he would take the matter to the World Court.

Zakaria said the secretariat is preparing a draft constitution for a unified Sulu Sultanate but the reigning sultans of Sulu regarded Rodinood's aim as 'wishful thinking'.

"There are currently five contending sultans in Sulu, Mindanao who on Oct 11 would elect from among themselves the Sultan to preside over the Jolo-based sultanate," he added when contacted.

"Rodinood is not from the five as the authenticity of his claims to the throne are under question. How can he claim proprietary rights to the sultanate when he does not even have property in Joloh, let alone an istana (palace)?" he asked.

More importantly, Zakaria said questions surrounding his lineage to Jamalul Kiram III, the recognised head of the Sulu Sultanate, is subject to much controversy.

"There are all kinds of stories and scandals relating to his birthright and the nature of his ties to Jamalul Kiram and his brother Esmail Kiram," he added without elaborating.

No support

Successive Philippine administrations have intermittently claimed sovereignty over Sabah on grounds that the former British North Borneo territory had historically fallen within the jurisdiction of the Sultanate of Sulu in southern Philippines.

Malaysia continues to pay a yearly lease of US$1,500 as part of the agreement inherited from the British colonial government in 1963 when Sabah was included as part of Malaysia.

Zakaria, who also heads the Bangsamoro Research Center, said the questionable activities of Rodinood, also known as 'Robinhood', deprived him of any rights to be a sultan in the eyes of the people.

"Nobody wants to support him. How can we have a sultan whose behavior is so un-Islamic?" he added.

He claimed that 'syndicates' were supporting and using him to promote their own agendas, including attempts to tap into the wealth of the Sultanate.

He said these attempts have so far failed on account of the lack of documentation and legal evidence to support his claim to the throne/

In a statement to the media, Zakaria said Rodinoods' plan to bring the Sabah claim to the World Court for arbitration without the support of the other five sultans would be an exercise in futility.

This was because their regard for Malaysia as a country with brethren sharing the same Islamic faith overrides any claims they have over Sabah, he added.

"(Rodinood's plans) will not propser without the support of the reigning sultans who are contemplating to renegotiate with Malaysia under the spirit of Islamic brotherhood and good neighborliness," he said.