SULTAN MUHAMMAD FUAD A. KIRAM I
(THE SULTAN OF SULU & SABAH)
1. To revive the spiritual well-being and to strengthen the arts and culture, customs and traditions of our people and to make sure our Tausug language will flourish that made us unique as an Unconquered Kingdom for centuries.
2. To attain our goals of a new dimension for our people founded on peace, brotherhood, harmony, understanding, tolerance and friendship of all religions that will usher in profound stability and prosperity for our people, to all Filipinos and the region.
3. To pursue the truth there is "only one crown and throne" of Sulu and Sabah, and that the deception of our people and the outside world by false sultans must end, as the good people of the Royal Sultanate of Sulu and Sabah (herein called “the Royal Sultanate”) have rejected these impostors and self-appointed sultans, who have no rights to claim the rank and title of Sultan since they did not and could not fulfil the Law of Succession of the Royal House of Sulu and Sabah that only the son and male heir of the Reigning Sultan must ascend the throne. We are the last son of the Reigning Sultan His Majesty Sultan Muhammad Esmail E. Kiram I (Sultan 1947 to 1973) thus we inherited all the rights and titles of our father and by primogeniture we fulfilled the Law of Succession and we are now the 35th Reigning Sultan.
4. To continue our move to press for the ending of the Malaysian illegal occupation of Sabah and Spratlys since 1963 and we persist to realize the return of Sabah and Spratlys as properties owned by the Tausugs and Filipinos. The Sabah sovereignty was transferred in 1962 by our beloved father to the Republic of the Philippines and we honor that commitment from our father and now reiterated that "Sabah is not only the property of the nine (9) Royal Kiram heirs but also of the Tausugs and the Filipinos."
5. After sixteen (16) years without full implementation by the Government of the Philippines (“GRP”) on the terms of the 1996 Peace Agreement signed between the GRP and the Moro National Liberation Front (“MNLF”) on 18 March 2012, the MNLF was compelled to declare independence of Mindanao including the Royal Sultanate dominions of Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Palawan and Sabah. Many times in the past, we called for the full implementation of the 1996 Peace Agreement but our calls fell into deaf ears. The MNLF’s declaration of independence is a matter for the people of Mindanao and the Philippines to decide but genuine self-determination is guaranteed and enshrined by the Charter of the United Nations. We pray that this matter is settled in peaceful terms without harm or loss of life of any Filipino.
6. To reunite our beloved people once more, the brave Tausugs of Sulu dominions and the valourous Tausugs of Sabah, who for centuries were together as one United People, we propose the creation of the Sulu Sabah Genuine Autonomous Region (“SSGAR”) as part of the Philippines with taxes, resources and riches sharing between the Philippines and our SSGAR, with a Parliamentary Monarchy with us and our heirs and successors as the Reigning Sultan in our dominions of Zamboanga peninsula, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Palawan and Sabah, comprising the SSGAR traditional Tausug territories similar to Aland Suomi autonomy of Finland enjoyed by over 65,000 Alanders since 1921, with its own parliament, own government administering services to its people, own police force, own law courts, own passport (with Sulu and Sabah on top and Philippines below), own flag, own symbol (coat of arms), can accept foreign direct investment (“FDI”), as well as being a member of ASEAN and other regional groupings of nations similar to Aland Suomi as member of Nordic Council and a veto on international agreements of the Philippines that can impact on the welfare and well-being of Sulu and Sabah people -- and finally the SSGAR is guaranteed by the Philippines and the United Nations -- like Aland Suomi guaranteed by Finland’s Constitution and the League of Nations in 1921 or today the U.N.
7. Concomitantly, if the SSGAR is not feasible for whatsoever reason, we give our consent and support for a Free and Independent Sabah to emerge in Sabah -- that will enshrine the people of Sabah as masters of their own destiny -- with a Parliamentary Monarchy, and the Members of our Sabah Parliament are elected by our beloved people on a 4 year period, with us and our heirs and successors as the Reigning Sultan, and our Parliament shall enact laws and administer services, like free hospital, free education and free assisted housing to our underprivileged Sabah people, to determine how, when and where the over US$60 billion Sabah yearly Gross Domestic Product (“GDP”) from oil and gas, agriculture, tourism, agriculture, mining, fishing and other industries will be spent to benefit our Sabah people. Our beloved father His Majesty Sultan Muhammad Esmail E. Kiram I (Sultan of Sulu & Sabah 1947 to 1973) transferred the Sabah sovereignty to the Philippines from the Royal Sultanate of Sulu on 12 September 1962, therefore, we as his last son and heir and the Reigning Sultan being the exclusive holder of the Sabah sovereign patrimony can solely determine the Sabah sovereignty, no one else, to benefit our people.
8. The SSGAR and/or Independent Sabah shall enshrine the Royal Commission Against Corruption (“RCAC”), to guard against the “improper and corrupt conduct of any government personnel, to ascertain that the taxes of our people are used solely for their intended services and for the welfare and well-being of our beloved people of Sulu and Sabah.” Furthermore, in the SSGAR and/ or Independent Sabah, services like free hospital, free education and free assisted housing to our underprivileged people will be the core of the policies of our Parliamentary Government.
9. Central to our SSGAR and/or a Free and Independent Sabah policy is for the MNLF to become a political party, with other political parties to be formed, that will commit to administer services to all our people for us to build our peaceful society under a Parliament elected by our people on a 4-year term, wherein the party with more seats in Parliament shall form the government under the reign of HM Sultan Fuad A. Kiram I and his heirs and successors according to law as the Reigning Sultan of Sulu and Sabah. We envisage that the MNLF troops shall be our Royal Police Force in the SSGAR and/or Independent Sabah.
10. To work for peace and prosperity for our beloved Royal Sultanate of Sulu and Sabah, for the Philippines and the region, and to uplift economic developments of our industry; e.g.: agriculture, mining, transport, shipping, telecommunications, manufacturing, carrageenan or seaweed, copra, coffee, fishing, abaca, tourism, resort hotel developments, oil & gas exploration and development, etc.
11. To enhance, foster and develop long-lasting bond of friendship, mutual cooperation and links with the Philippine government, PRC, USA, ASEAN and others to assist us reach our goals of a better society centered on peace, harmony and stability to realize the full potential of our social and economic developments needed by our beloved people, long overdue.
12. To foster, enshrine and develop strong friendship, harmony, understanding and brotherhood of all religions -- Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Shintoism, Jewism, etc., and to abhor and reject terrorism and other extremist fanaticism in our Royal Sultanate and the Philippines, that will destroy our way of life and others, and to continue our concerted works and efforts toward peace and economic prosperity in our beloved Royal Sultanate of Sulu and Sabah, the Philippines and the Southeast Asian Region.