Sabah on the agenda, again

THIS is not the first time I touch on this admittedly sensitive issue and it will not be the last, especially when it concerns my beloved homeland, Sabah. Yet another round of diplomatic contretemps has recently arisen between the Philippines and Malaysia over the status (or, as some would coin it, sovereignty) of Sabah. Strong, sometimes less than diplomatic words were uttered, protests were launched, and ambassadors were summoned to explain their respective government’s stand. The Sabah issue has once again heated up.

And, as readers would know by now, I typically try to not mince my words in my writing. And of course, I humbly ask for the indulgence of my dear readers if my personal stance on this issue happens to be contrary to that of most of you. Please do not lynch or troll me or this newspaper, especially electronically, as I experienced a few years ago with the netizens of another neighboring country, who apparently did not like something I said (out of the best of intentions on my part) and decided to cyberbombard me with the most excruciating curses. We can have responsive and responsible dialogues and even constructive debates on this issue, without resorting to malicious name-calling.