KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah state legislative assembly today rejected a motion to debate the Sultanate of Sulu 'heirs' issue submitted by Opposition leader Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.

Speaker Datuk Kadzim M Yahya the motion was rejected based on Rule 23 (2) which requires motions to be submitted within 24 hours of the start of the session.

"As this motion was submitted at 11.25 am, which does not meet the 24-hour requirement, it is rejected according to Rule 23(2)," he said.

Mohd Shafie, who is Senallang Assemblyman and also Semporna MP, then requsted for the motion to be debated on any of the four-day assembly sitting, as it involved the issue of Sabah's sovereignty.

"It does not have to be debated today, maybe it can be done on Thursday. This issue has been haunting us for 65 years. I am not recognising the Sulu Sultanate, but we have laws and I will also be bringing this to Parliament next week," he said.

Kadzim, however, advised Mohd Shafie to raise the matter in Parliament, saying that as it involves the Federal government, the issue should be handled at the Federal level.

-- BERNAMA