Police urged to probe 'twice-born Sulu sultan'

Three police reports were lodged on Friday in Kota Kinabalu against a Mohd Akjan Muhammad who had declared himself the 33rd Sultan of Sulu - and parts of Sabah - on Feb 2 at a private ceremony in Kampung Likas in the Sabah capital.

The incident had also triggered a barrage of criticisms as well as calls for the set up of a royal commission of inquiry into the thorny issue of immigration in Sabah.

Akjan ( left ), an Umno member, is now ‘officially’ known as His Majesty Paduka Mahasari Maulana Al-Sultan Shariful-Hashim II, Dr Sharif Mohammad Akjan Mu’izzuddin Waddaulah Ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Sharif Ali Muhammad Pulalun, or Sultan Shariful-Hashim II,

The reports were lodged by two opposition parties and Sabah BN Youth in response to a recent statement by Sabah Police Commissioner Hamza Taib that Akjan could only be investigated after a report was lodged against him with his department.

The complainants want police to probe reports that Akjan is heading a Sulu government-in-exile - also known as interim government - based in Sabah.

“We are confused whether we are in the Philippines or in Malaysia,” said  Sabah PKR director of communications Ronnie Charles Klassen. “We want the police chief to act immediately on our reports.”

He described Akjan’s “self-styled coronation” as a direct challenge to Malaysia’s sovereignty over Sabah and an insult to the Malay sultans and the Sabah governor.

Other complaints against Akjan include, among others, the allegation that Akjan holds two passports - Malaysian and Filipino - and that he was born in the Philippines and not Sabah as stated in his birth certificate.

Akjan, according to Klassen and the two other police reports, may have been born in Jambangan in Nipah-Nipah, Jolo, the southern Philippines, on Nov 23, 1957 although his MyKad states that he was “born much earlier” in Sabah on July 7, 1957.

'Issue could threaten sovereignty'

Sabah BN Youth chief Azman Ruzlan urged police in his report to investigate claims that Akjan had called on the Suluk community in Sabah to be loyal to him. He also wants Umno to expel Akjan immediately.

“This issue could threaten the country’s sovereignty. It (the call to the Suluks) is against the principles of the Rukun Negara,” said Azman, who was accompanied by the Gerakan and Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) youth chiefs, Chang Shui Kiong and Wedley Disim respectively.

The third police report was lodged by Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) Youth chief Edward Dagul, who echoed what the other two reports alleged. He noted that Hamza had been reported as saying in the local dailies that the police couldn’t do anything about Akjan since no police report had been lodged on the matter.

“Now that we have lodged a police report, it’s up to the police to take the appropriate action,” said Dagul.

None of the police reports touched on two other unnamed individuals, according to local media reports, who publicly laid claims within the last two months to the Sulu throne.

Meanwhile, Umno assistant secretary Masidi Manjun ( right ) has confirmed that the Akjan issue may be raised at the next meeting of the state Umno liaison committee on Feb 17.

“We will not talk about this now as we have not had our meeting yet,” said Masidi, who is also the state Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister.

“Umno is as concerned about the matter as members of the public. Let the police investigate first.”

Masidi does not rule out Akjan’s membership in Umno being raised at the party meet next week.

Dompok, DAP call for royal commission of inquiry

BN's component party member United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) has also weighed in on the issue and called for the set up of a Royal Commissin of Inquiry into the problem of immigration in Sabah.

"I am disgusted (upon knowing this). You cannot have people running around the country who are forming 'nations' of their own...it's absurd," Upko president Bernard Dompok ( left ) was reported to have told reporters on Saturday.

Dompok said the allegation that Mohd Akjan held dual citizenship warrants a full-scale investigation and urged the Malaysian authorities to view the matter seriously.

Backing Dompok on the issue was Sabah DAP Sabah, whose assistant secretary Junz Wong said Upko should table a motion on this issue at the coming parliamentary sitting in March.

Wong admitted, however, that there was very little possibility of that happening given widely-held suspicions that the BN-led government was implicated in the issuance of documents to foreigners for its own political interests.

"It is an open secret that the government is facilitating the systematic legalisation of illegal immigrants and registering them as voters thus becoming their fixed deposits.

"In view of this, DAP Sabah would like to see all the component parties of BN other than Umno to leave the BN family and join us in Pakatan Rakyat to redeem our dignity and position while safeguarding the future of our children," said Wong in a statement.