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Jamalul Kiram III: Difference between revisions

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Jamalul Kiram III (16 July 1938 – 20 October 2013)^[1][2] was a self-proclaimed^[3] Sultan of the defunct-Sultanate of Sulu (now part of Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia) who claimed to be "the poorest sultan in the world".^[4] He was known as a former unsuccessful candidate for senator in the past Philippine general elections in 2007. Kiram III sparked a controversy in 2013 when he revive a former dispute between the Philippines and Malaysia by leading an intrusion over the eastern part of Sabah.^[5]

As a consequences, Kiram III together with his followers has been labelled as a "terrorist" by both the Malaysian and Sabah state governments more so after the atrocities committed by his followers with the mutilation of Malaysian security personnel bodies and his followers intention to taking Sabahan residents as a hostage.^[6][7][8]

Born in Mainbung, Sulu during the Commonwealth of the Philippines, he was the eldest son of Datu Punjungan Kiram who was the second son of Sultan Mawallil Wasit and by Sharif Usna Dalus Strattan.^{[citation needed]} He is descended from the first Sultan of Sulu, Sharif ul-Hāshim of Sulu from the Banu Hashem tribe, the direct descendants of Muhammad.^{[citation needed]} Kiram III also claimed to have a common ancestor with Brunei's current sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, although this was denied by the Bruneian counterparts.^[9]

Kiram III studied in Jolo Central Elementary School from 1946 to 1951. He finished high school at the Sulu High School in 1955 and took up pre-law from 1956 to 1958 at Notre Dame of Jolo. He studied for a Bachelor of Law degree from Manuel L. Quezon University (MLQU) in 1964 but was unable to finish it thus pursued a career in dance instead.^[2] He was married to Dayang Hadja Fatima Celia H. Kiram, and resided in Taguig City, Metro Manila. He had two daughters, including Jacel Kiram.^{[citation needed]}

On 20 October 2013, Kiram III died at the age of 75 due to multiple organ failure.^[2] He made a dying request to be buried at the capital of the Sultanate in Maimbung, Sulu. He left eight children with two wives.^[10] Numerous political personalities paid their respects to the late Sultan including the current governor of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao Mujiv Sabbihi Hataman and Sulu vice-governor Abdusakur Mahail Tan,^[11] Former First Lady of the Philippines Imelda Marcos,^[12] and the Malacañang Palace.^[13]

His spokesman said that their "royal family" would continue to pursuing their main intention over the former dispute between Philippines and Malaysia.^[14] The Malaysian branch of police in Sabah has stated that they "would continue to be alert for any intrusion".^[15]

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He was the one responsible for the release of the American and the German nationals from the captivity of the lost command of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in 1984.^{[citation needed]} He established livelihood programs in Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and Palawan through the Sulu-Marine and Seven Seas Corporations.^{[citation needed]} During the Zamboanga City crisis, he criticised his previous ally, Nur Misuari, for waging a war against the Philippine government.^{[citation needed]}

He was also ever served as the president of the Philippine Pencak Silat Association and once served as a board member in the Philippine Olympic Committee.^{[citation needed]}

In the 2007 elections, he unsuccessfully ran as Senator under the banner of TEAM Unity.^[16] He had previously Legislative and Executive Advisory Council on the Sabah Claim Presidential Adviser on Muslim Royalties' Concern under Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.^{[citation needed]}

With his retirement, the succession rights of the sultanate was disputed among his heirs such as Mohammad Akijal Atti.^{[citation needed]} The dispute on the succession rights ended in 11 November 2012 when claimants from the Kiram family (descendants of Punjungan Kiram only) met together in Sulu, ending their decade-long feud.^{[citation needed]} After the family meeting, Kiram III once again became the self-proclaimed Sultan alongside Ismael Kiram II. He also declared Rajah Mudah Agbimuddin Kiram as "crown prince".^[5]

He was a member of the Ruma Betchara (Council of the Sultan) during the reign of his late uncle, Esmail Kiram.^{[citation needed]} He acted in place of his father during the absence of his father Punjungan Kiram while in Sabah and later proclaimed himself in 1984 as 33rd Sultan of Sulu and was crowned on 15 June 1986 in Jolo, Sulu.^{[citation needed]} Kiram III forged the century-old relationships between Sulu and China during a royal visit to Dezhou, where the descendants of Sulu King Paduka Pahala live, in Shandong Province, People' Republic of China in September 1999 with an 87-man entourage.^{[citation needed]} The visit concluded with the signing of the agreement between Hebei Province and the Sulu Sultanate on agricultural technology exchange.^{[citation needed]} He also forged bilateral relationship between the Don Sasagawa Foundation of Japan and the Sultan Jamalul Ahlam Foundation.^{[citation needed]} Jamalul Alam was the recipient of various hospital equipment from Japan which were in turn donated to the Sulu Provincial Hospital in 1992.^{[citation needed]}

Beginning on 9 February 2013, approximately 200 men led by his brother, Agbimuddin Kiram intrude neighbouring Sabah in Malaysia by entering illegally in Lahad Datu, in an effort in asserting the former Sulu Sultanate's claim to the state. Kiram was reported to have directed them to intrude and not leave, claiming that "Malaysia is only renting Sabah" from the heirs of the Sultanate. The men, many of whom were heavily armed, engaged a standoff with Malaysian police and armed forces which saw the death of 56 of his followers while the rest were either captured and escaped.^[2][17][18]

The intrusion to neighbouring territory was believed to have been caused when the Philippine government treated him and his wife only as "decorations" during the signing of a framework agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).^[2] President Benigno Aquino III blamed Kiram and his followers for dragging the Philippines into the dispute, with a bad impact on overseas Filipinos in Malaysia and hurting relations between the two.^[2][19][20] His act drew criticism from most Filipinos in Sabah as many of them have became a victim of discrimination and retaliation from the local Borneo tribes due to the killing of Malaysian police who mainly comprising the indigenous Borneo races,^[21] as well from other claimants who decried his actions and want to retake the eastern part of Sabah through peaceful means without any bloodshed.^{[22][23][24][25]}

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