SULU: THE STORY OF TWO SULTANS AND THE STORY OF A FAKE SULTAN

By Marlene Howe 

Co-Founder and Administrator, Philippine Sabah Claim Forum & Co-Founder and Administrator of the Sabah Claim Society (later on stolen by Omar Kiram -- who is not related by blood to the royal Kirams of Sulu, and his minstrel thieves)

Below is a brief history of how it came about that Fuad Kiram's father was proclaimed Sultan but was not recognized by the Ruma Bechara,  the Royal Council that proclaims the rightful heir to the throne of Sulu.

Below is the Royal Laws of Succession and not the one that Omar Kiram (a.k.a Omar Maniquis, an inpostor and fake prince) had edited and posted on their elaborate website to make them look legit. Omar has distorted the facts of the Royal Laws of Succession. 

To become a Sultan, one has to be a Raja Muda first who then ascends to the throne when the Sultan dies. Fuad was never close as an heir apparent to the throne. After Sultan Esmail Kiram I (father of Mahakuttah and Fuad) the succession was as follows:

 1. Punjungan (Sultan Esmail's Raja Muda and Jamalul's father)

 2. Jamalul III

 3. Esmail II

 4. Agbimuddin

 5. Phugdar

 6. Ibrahim

 7. Mahakuttah (Muedzul-Lail or Butch T. Kiram's father, brother of Fuad)

In 1974, there was chaos and war in Sulu and the whole Jolo was on fire. Jamalul and his family went to attend to the sick and wounded. So when President Marcos asked where the royalties were, someone close to Marcos named Rasul told Marcos that Jamalul and his family went to the mountains and joined the rebels which was not true.

When Marcos could not locate any of the royalty, Mahakuttah was proclaimed as Sultan to which the Ruma Bechara under the leadership of Princess Tarhata contested and filed a petition to have Jamalul be proclaimed as the interim Sultan while awaiting for Punjungan who was the Sultan Esmail Kiram I's Raja Muda (Jamalul's father) to come back from Sabah. Punjungan went to Sabah in 1967 by the invitation of Tunko Rahman to become the Sultan of Sabah. But a political double-crossed by Mustapha prevented it from happening.

So in the same year of 1974, President Marcos approved the petition and the Ruma Bechara proclaimed Jamalul as the interim Sultan awaiting for the return of Punjungan. Marcos gave Enrile a memorandum to offer Mahakuttah a government job and stay out of the way. Mahakuttah rejected it. When martial law ended in 1980, Crown Prince Punjungan returned from North Borneo to Jolo.  The Ruma Bechara, along with all the datus and leaders of the different municipalities of Sulu, gathered in Jolo to proclaim Datu Punjungan as the rightful Sultan. At that time, they also proclaimed Datu Jamalul Kiram III as Raja Muda. Sultan MAHAKUTTAH WAS PRESENT AT THE GATHERING IN JOLO AND WILLINGLY RENOUNCED THE SULTANRY IN FAVOR OF HIS UNCLE, SULTAN PUNJUNGAN. After Punjungan died in 1984, Jamalul was proclaimed by the Ruma Bechara as Sultan and was crowned in 1986. Mahakuttah went around restless and drank himself to death in 1986.

When Mahakuttah died, his Raja Muda Mued-zul Lail T. Kiram filed his claim as the next Sultan. But Omar and Fuad made all allegations of haram acts by Muedzul-Lail so they could justify Fuad taking the title away from Muedzul-Lail and make themselves look good. They then conferred titles, left, right and center (on Facebook which is the cheapest way to do it) to incite people to support them. They have disrespected the Muslim tradition of bestowing titles by using western nobility and using the Sulu Sultanate address where they don't live. They cannot set foot in Sulu because people there will lynch them if they do. They are not welcome there! So all these misleading acts typical of con-artists are all for money.

Fuad Kiram's third wife Farida whose facebook account is under her daughter's name (Habiba Kiram)  by Fuad and who left her when she was still pregnant, has claimed Fuad had never given a single cent of support to their daughter. She also claimed that she was battered by Fuad. These declarations are on her facebook wall. The girl is very brave coming forward to tell the world of her story. Omar was  able to come between Fuad and the family because Fuad is destitute and Omar has been supporting his basic needs like the small house he's renting in Angono, Rizal. Fuad has no income and no assets so depends on Omar for his daily sustenance. He allows a con-artist to use him as a puppet and Omar as the Master Puppeteer.

Does it make you wonder why Fuad was proclaimed in a basketful court with only few people and no royalty attendees? Does it not make you wonder why his proclamation was not done by the Ruma Bechara and it was not held in Sulu which is the seat of the Sultanate but  in a small barangay of Rizal? Does it not make you wonder why Omar who has been using Fuad to confer bogus royal Sulu title left, right and center from  Maimbung, Sulu where they don't live and cannot even set foot in?

Additonal info:

After the MacKaskie agreement was entered into on October 11, 1939, the State of Borneo was awarded to the Kiram heirs to which the administrator was Sultan Punjungan Kiram, the father of Jamalul. The Kiram heirs  decided to signed the document to drop the claim on Sabah during the Ramos administration for monetary settlement. All 8 heirs signed the document except for Sultan Jamalul Kiram III. Sultan Jamalul was and is the only person among the heirs representatives who blocked the monetary settlement. To him, he wanted to get Sabah back for the people and back to the Sultanate. Since the Republic of the Philippines and Malaysia only recognized Jamalul as the true Sultan and whose father was the administrator of the Sabah estate, Malaysia rejected the eight signatures. So this is where the Sabah issue is now.   

These documents below are authentic copies of the Ruma Bechara's petition signed by President Marcos nullifying the installation of Mahakuttah since the above legitimate heirs before him were still alive at that time. The line of succession cannot be broken just by the wish of someone or a sultan for that matter. The above heirs have to be all dead or must relinquish their right before Mahakuttah could be legally proclaimed by the Ruma Bechara as Sultan. The line of succession was already in place and had been selected by the Ruma Bechara who has the only right to proclaim a legitimate Sultan.

NB: To read the original post, please click on this link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/philippinesabahclaimforum/doc/315200781831861/