The dispute over Sabah

H2 History - syllabus 9174, 2027

What this lesson teaches

I can judge why tensions arose between Southeast Asian states and how they affected the region.
Syllabus 9174, Paper 2, Theme III, Learning Outcomes. evaluate the causes and consequences of inter-state tensions on inter-state relations and the region

Make a guess

The Philippines claimed Sabah through the rights of the Sultan of Sulu. How do you think the dispute ended?

An international court gave Sabah to the Philippines.
Malaysia sold Sabah back to the Philippines in 1968.
It was never settled by any court or treaty.

Show the answer

It was never settled by any court or treaty.

The claim strained relations and twice disrupted regional cooperation, but ASEAN kept it from becoming a war.

The Philippines claimed Sabah through the rights of the Sultan of Sulu. The dispute strained relations with Malaysia and twice disrupted regional cooperation.

In 1878 the Sultan of Sulu granted North Borneo to European traders, whose rights passed to the British North Borneo Company. The Philippines later argued that this was a lease, not a sale, and that it had inherited the Sultan's rights.

In 1962 President Macapagal formally claimed Sabah. The Philippines opposed its inclusion in Malaysia and refused to recognise Malaysia in 1963. Full relations were restored only in 1966.

In 1968 the dispute flared again. Reports revealed that the Philippines had trained men on Corregidor island for operations in Sabah. Talks in Bangkok failed. In September 1968 the Philippine Congress passed a law describing Sabah as Philippine territory, and Malaysia suspended diplomatic relations.

The dispute disrupted ASEAN, which was barely a year old. Other members, especially Indonesia and Thailand, pressed both sides to calm down. Relations were restored in December 1969.

The claim was never settled. In 1977 President Marcos said the Philippines would take steps to drop it, but this was never completed. The dispute was shelved rather than solved.

Claim filed: 1962, by President Macapagal.
Corregidor affair: 1968.
Relations restored: December 1969.

Worked example: Linking Sabah to regional cooperation

How did the Sabah dispute affect cooperation?

1963: it helped paralyse the Association of Southeast Asia (ASA) and Maphilindo.
1968-1969: it disrupted the new ASEAN.
Response: other ASEAN members urged restraint.
Outcome: the claim was shelved, not solved.

Watch out for this

The Sabah dispute ended with a ruling by an international court.

It was never settled. Both sides chose to shelve it to protect ASEAN and their relations.

Check your understanding

What happened in September 1968?

The Philippines left ASEAN in protest.
The Philippine Congress claimed Sabah, and Malaysia suspended relations.
Malaysia handed Sabah to the Philippines after a vote.

Show the answer

The Philippine Congress claimed Sabah, and Malaysia suspended relations.

Right. ASEAN members urged both sides to calm down.

Sources and context

Background reading for this chapter.

An American estimate of the Malaysia plan
Paraphrase of a US Special National Intelligence Estimate, "Prospects for Malaysia", 20 February 1963.
An American estimate of confrontation
Paraphrase of a US National Intelligence Estimate, "The Malaysian-Indonesian Conflict", 30 October 1963.
Sukarno explains his position
Paraphrase of a telegram from the US Ambassador in Jakarta, Howard Jones, reporting a conversation with President Sukarno, 10 April 1964.
Malaysia reacts to a Philippine plot over Sabah
Paraphrase of an intelligence note from the US State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research to Secretary of State Rusk, 26 March 1968.
Cambodia explains its break with Thailand
Paraphrase of a US State Department record of a conversation with the Cambodian Ambassador, Nong Kimny, 1 December 1958.
The separation agreement guarantees the water agreements
Paraphrase of section 14 of the Malaysian act annexed to the agreement on the separation of Singapore from Malaysia, signed on 7 August 1965 and registered in the United Nations Treaty Series.
an American official on the Manila summit, August 1963
Extract from a memorandum from Roger Hilsman, Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs, to Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Washington, 2 August 1963, written while the leaders of Indonesia, Malaya and the Philippines were meeting in Manila. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961-1963, volume XXIII, document 332. A US government document in the public domain.
Washington talks to General Nasution, December 1963
Extract from a telegram from the State Department (signed by Secretary of State Rusk) to the US embassy in Indonesia, 7 December 1963, reporting talks in Washington with General Nasution, Indonesia's Defence Minister, during Konfrontasi. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961-1963, volume XXIII, document 324. A US government document in the public domain.
the President is briefed on the temple ruling, July 1962
Extract from a memorandum from Carl Kaysen, deputy national security adviser, to President Kennedy, Washington, 12 July 1962, and the volume editors' note on it. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961-1963, volume XXIII, document 456. A US government publication in the public domain.
the State Department on Indonesia's new course, June 1966
Extract from a State Department paper on Indonesia attached to a memorandum from Walt Rostow to President Johnson, Washington, 8 June 1966, a week after Indonesian and Malaysian delegations led by Adam Malik and Abdul Razak met in Bangkok. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964-1968, volume XXVI, document 210. A US government document in the public domain.
a cartoon about the Manila summit, August 1963
An original cartoon drawn for these notes in the style of a regional newspaper cartoon published in August 1963, during and after the Manila summit of Indonesia, Malaya and the Philippines, which asked the UN Secretary-General to find out the wishes of the people of Sabah and Sarawak. It is not a copy of a real cartoon.