Good idea Bran. If China was able to acquire back Hong-kong and Taiwan from the hands of the British, then why can't we.
I remembered when I was a little kid that one of my uncle, out of deperation, ventured for a back-door entry vide Sabah to Malaysia. He was caught by a Malaysian cost guard inside Sabah waters and was given a riffle but on the back that left him unconcious.
On learning about the history of Sabah during my high school days, I was so outraged. How dare these people prosecuted us in our own land!
I even got more outraged when just recently, I got one of Emirates Airlines Travel Book, where Sabah is featured as one of the Top Tourist attraction in Malaysia and Mount Kinabalu was dubed as the best mountaineering site. While in the same book, not even an Ad of a Philippine resort was mentioned.
With this, one can ask "where are our leaders".
I absolutely agree, Mr. Ferniz.
The only answer to this is "Docile government". During the 1960s, when the Philippines was a regional power, with advanced military weaponry (we were sporting advanced American hardware: F-5IIs, F-8s, C-4 strategic carpet bombers, then-advanced destroyers, cruisers and a fleet of support destroyers and patrol ships). During the British proclamation of creating a 'Malaya' state, the nation of Indonesia, which was then led by Sukarno, declared the illegality of the act. He mentioned historical precedent that northern Borneo was historically under the control of the Java-based Malays and hence the current state of Sarawak (eastern malaysia) should be reunited with Indonesia to form what was then termed by the Indonesian people as "Indoneesiya Jaya" (Greater Indonesia). The Indonesian high command also claimed that the state of Sabah, was part of the Sulu Empire for centuries (as earned in war when the Sulu Sultan aided the Sultan of Brunei in a war against the Dayas, and as payment for his brother's support, gave Sabah to the Sulu Sultan). Sukarno and his government decried that since Sabah was historically part of the SULU Empire, and since the Sulu Sultanate was under political and military control --and an integral part of the Philippines, it would make sense that all territories that were part of Sulu--should, by right of territorial sovereignty, be integrated with the Philippines as well.
What did we do after Malaya was created? Absolutely nothing.
Sukarno and the Indonesian government supported a proxy war with the state of Malaya and initiated the 'Konfrontasi', which was when indonesian paramilitary units attacked the state of Malaysia in an attempt to 'CRUSH' Malaysia and integrate it with Indonesia. This would have been the perfect time for the Philippines (then the strongest military power in south east asia---having air, land and naval superiority over malaysia, thailand and indonesia; and the fact that we were a strategic ally of the United States). An attack on the philippines would have been considered as an attck on the United States---and the Yankees would have supported us on our campaign.
Manila and our politicians should have supported Sukarno...and dividied Malaysia. I still cannot understand why our politicians did not do this! We were a regional power! Even indonesia would have been defeated by our armed forces at the time, and we were too 'scared' to instigate hostilities for fear of international protest. Now look at the state of the philippines. We have terrorist in the south that are entering the country via Sabah. If we reclaimed sabah decades ago like what we shoudve done, the entire region would have been assimilated and Mindanao and Sabah---completely Filipinized. There wouldnt be any reactionary forces--coming from sabah to manila and the philippines..as what we have at present.
In fact, the massive natural resources of sabah would have fueled our country to further growth.
Who knows, we could've even went to war with Indonesia and taken over the entire Borneon island. As indonesia, at the time, was an ant in comparison to the mighty Armed Forces of the Philippines (which had a force of over 300,000...not including paramilitary units)...as the AFP had recently obliterated/crushed the Huk rebellion. A proof our our military might....
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