The North Borneo dispute is the result of a claim by the Philippines over much of the eastern part of Sabah in Malaysia. Sabah was known as North Borneo prior to the formation of the Malaysian federation in 1963. The Philippines, via the heritage of the Sultanate of Sulu, claim Sabah on the basis that Sabah was only leased to the British North Borneo Company with Sulu's sovereignty never being relinquished. Malaysia however, considered this dispute as a "non-issue", as there is no desire from the actual people of Sabah to be part of the Philippines or of the Sultanate of Sulu. As reported by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the independence of North Borneo was brought about as the result of the expressed wish of the majority of the people of the territory in a 1963 election. This is further reinforced by the International Court of Justice view that,
| “ | ...historic title, no matter how persuasively claimed on the basis of old legal instruments and exercises of authority, cannot - except in the most extraordinary circumstances - prevail in law over the rights of non-self-governing people to claim independence and establish their sovereignty through the exercise of bona fide self-determination. | ” |
Read more about North Borneo Dispute: Grant By Sultan of Sulu of Territories and Lands On The Mainland of The Island of Borneo, Madrid Protocol, Philippine Claim, Formation of Malaysia, Further Claim, Developments
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