He said given the powers an RCI has, it might be an effective mechanism to not just address the exorbitant claims made by the descendants but to examine the entire matter of why the sovereignty of Sabah remains in question.
“The setting up of a task force by the government might be a poor response to the issue. I quite agree with Umno vice-president Khaled Nordin that the proper approach should be an RCI,” he said in a statement today.
Yesterday, the Cabinet agreed to set up a task force to look into matters linked to the RM62.59 billion claim by the descendants of the Sultan of Sulu.
Law minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said he would head the task force, which will also include foreign minister Saifuddin Abdullah, Attorney-General (AG) Idrus Harun and several international arbitration experts.
Ramasamy, who is Penang deputy chief minister II, said it is obvious that the seizure of the Petronas assets in Luxembourg by the heirs to the Sulu sultanate is part of their larger and more fundamental claim on the sovereignty of Sabah.
He added that an RCI could also ascertain why there was a need to cut off the annual payments to the claimants in 2013, which set the arbitration process in motion.
“It must also find out the reason why the arbitration mechanism failed to address and resolve the problems emanating from the curtailment of the annual payments.
“It seems that the long-standing claims of the descendants which were left unresolved by Malaysia led to the seizure of Petronas assets overseas. The matter seems to be shrouded in mystery,” he said.
Ramasamy said the fact that Malaysia was paying a yearly stipend to the descendants until 2013 seems to be an implicit recognition of the claims made.
“Why was this not resolved in 1963, with the formation of Malaysia? Why was there a need for Malaysia to make the annual payments to the Sulu sultanate?” he asked.
Ramasamy said it was disturbing that the claims of the descendants seem to have some international recognition.
“The idea of a task force is a poor substitute in addressing matters of sovereignty. Surely, a case as important as the claims on Sabah merits an RCI so that the government can get to the bottom of the matter.”