In a document circulated by the sultanate signed by Noel A. Rizalde (deputy  chief, RSF, Zamboanga Peninsula, Christian Sector) and Salih M. Hasan (deputy Secretary General, Muslim Sector), it compared Sabah to Hongkong, both were leased to Great Britain in 1978 and1897 respectively.
   As for Hongkong, it was turned over to China after the lease terminated in 1997.
   The sultanate said that it was through the sincere and honest initiatives of all Hongkong government officials and all concerned citizens residing thereat in coordination with some super power nations that the turning over of Hongkong by the British government was facilitated and carried out successfully.
   In the case of the lease agreement signed by and between Sultan Jamalul Ahlam
representing North Borneo, and Overbeck De Baron and Alfred Dent, representing Great
Britain, in Darul Jambangan, Maimbung, Lupah Sug (Sulu) on January 22, 1878, Great Britain should have had already turned over North Borneo to the rightful heirs of Sultan Jamalul
Ahlam.
   The sultanate reminds all Filipinos that the only recognized Sultan of Sulu and North Borneo as of now, are the legal sons of Sultan Mohammad Punjungan Kiram, by virtue of the letter of administration signed by British Judge Makaskie on October 11,1939 in Sandakan, North Borneo, which granted him an authority to administer North Borneo effective 1939 up to present.
   The  legal sons are Sultan Jamalul D. Kiram III, Sultan Esmail D. Kiram II and Data Raja Muda
Agbimuddin D. Kiram.
    "Great Britain has ceded North Borneo to Malaysia in 1963 instead of turning it over to the heirs of Sultan Kiram, the 3 brothers... Considering the lease agreement signed by and between Sultan Jamalul Ahlam and Overbeck De Baron and Alfred Dent on January 22, 1878 at Darul Jambangan, Maimbung, Lupah Sug, until December 2008,  it exceeds already 30 years and 11 months, from the 100 years duration of the leas agreement as sincerely and mutually agreed upon," said the sultanate document.
   It said that the most valid reason behind as to why Malaysia delayed so much in turning over North Borneo to the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo, under the influence of Sultan Kiram, is because there has been no interested Filipino political leaders and business personalities throughout this country willing to help the three brothers Sultan Kiram in coordinating with super power nations and the United Nations in facilitating the immediate turnover of North Borneo by the Malaysian government.
   " In one way or the other, so to speak, instead of covering all the Filipino political leaders, in an
atmosphere of love and affection towards our Sultanate of Sulu's vision to retrieve back North
Borneo from Malaysia, their individual feeling and interest went to nowhere , before and now.
However if God permits, in the nearest future politicking activities, most particularly, in Sulu
archipelago, Mindanao area and in North Bomeo-Sabah shall no longer exist," said the document.
   "We firmly believe in the name of our Almighty God, that once our formerly owned ancestral domain, North Bomeo-Sabah shall be diplomatically retrieved or repossessed from Malaysia, the sooner the better, through the sincere and honest personal initiative of our very own beautiful. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in her strong coordination with world leaders and some super power nations, them and only them, Sulu archipelago, Mindanao and all other regions in this part of our country shall now attain total peace, tranquility and enjoy a prosperous and everlasting productive life in the way ahead, due to the total hidden assets of the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo all over the world. To our beloved, Her Excellency President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, your seriously needed personal initiative, relative to the general status of Sabah Claim by Sultan Kiram is not only the best way, but it is the only way in making our Filipino nation great again!" the sultanate said.