The recent controversy over Malaysia’s border negotiations with Indonesia along the Sabah-Kalimantan frontier has a familiar echo to those who know Sabah’s history. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim told parliament on 4 February that Malaysia denied ceding 5,207 hectares to Indonesia, insisting the border demarcation followed agreements dating back to 1891 and 1915.
Territorial disputes over Sabah are nothing new as the Philippines have laid claim to the territory for decades. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr recently acknowledged that the issue was “briefly mentioned” during his 2023 state visit to Malaysia, though both sides agreed to focus on “solvable”…