Is it all about money, Kiram?

Manila-based daily Philippine Star recently published a report that Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III had no intention to 'reclaim' Sabah but was discontented with the amount of money his sultanate receives from Malaysia.

The RM5,500 annual stipend, according to Kiram, is not even enough to 'pay rental for an apartment in Manila'.

The Manila newspaper quoted Acting Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao governor Mujiv Hataman as saying that the message about more money was relayed by "Princess" Jacel, the oldest daughter of self-styled Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III.
This happened during one of the negotiations between them and the Philippine government to find a solution to the current stand-off.
"Hataman also emphasised that Princess Jacel told them they did not have plans to reclaim Sabah, and that they were only asking for a bigger payment because the current rate was not even enough to pay rental for an apartment," the report said.
Governor Hataman was quoted as saying that the issues were expressed in a letter to Philippine President Benigno Aquino by the sultan's brother Agbimuddin Kiram days before he took his oath in June 2010.
They included the clan's frustration with its exclusion from the peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the payment by Malaysia and its claim over Sabah...

However, if money was the problem, why did Kiram asked his followers to launch the intrusion of Sabah when money and its quantum should be treated by diplomatic means?

What on earth prompted Kiram to do so when no official contact was established between him, Manila and Kuala Lumpur. Who incited him to go to war with Malaysia?

Kiram is not a wise person either. A 'sultan' must be someone with wisdom and the ability to secure anything through negotiation. Declaring war on Malaysia equates him to the likes of warlords and sultans in the 14th and 15th Centuries.

It happened all of a sudden. So abrupt that he failed to weigh the impact of the intrusion on his image, his people and the Philippines as a whole.