“Sabah Needs Own Homeland Security – Dr. Jeffrey”

KOTA KINABALU - “The Sabah government should seriously consider and take the necessary action to establish its own Sabah Homeland Security Ministry and Department to maintain and ensure Sabah’s homeland security.  The latest kidnapping of a Chinese tourist and Filipino employee re-affirms the federal government’s failure to secure Sabah," said Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, STAR Sabah Chief, when asked to comment on the latest kidnapping incident in Singamata Resort, Semporna.

It is clear that the federal government has failed in its responsibility to make Sabah safe and secure as proven time and again by similar incidents in the past.

In fact, the federal government by its own neglect and or deliberate action has created an environment of insecurity by aiding and arming Muslim rebels in the southern Philippines and by wrongfully issuing Malaysian ICs to illegal immigrants for political purposes.

The issuance of the dubious ICs were conclusively proven in the RCI hearings on Project IC/Ops Durian Burok.    They were further proven beyond any reasonable doubt with the arrests of fake Sabah ICs of security guards, taxi drivers and others in the Peninsula.

Despite the beefing up of security/army personnel in response to the Tanduo intrusion and the establishment of ESSCOM and ESSZONE in the East Coast of Sabah, pirate raids and kidnappings continues in the East Coast District of Semporna.

“Where is ESSCOM?
Where is the promise of security when persuading Sabah to form Malaysia?
Where is the Marine enforcement?
Where are the police?
Where are the Special Branch police and the army intelligence?” asked Dr. Jeffrey.

“It is hypocritical of the federal government now to divert attention and blame the tourist resorts and the illegal foreign workers” said Dr. Jeffrey.

Why should the federal deputy Home Minister ask the resorts to close down and blame them for not taking security measures when it is the duty and responsibility of the federal government to provide security?

Why blame the foreign workers when the enemy is within, illegally granted ICs and citizenships with rights to vote?

Have the federal government forgotten that many of the Tanduo intruders were Umno members with ICs and some were buried in Keningau, Pitas and elsewhere where they were allegedly born according to their ICs?

It was also reported that the federal government had given ICs to residents in Tawi-Tawi and other neighbouring islands in the Philippines and as far as Sulawesi and across the Kalimantan border to facilitate voting for the Barisan Nasional.  

There are even reports of Indonesians given ICs and are in government.    These IC-holders are time-bombs not only in Sabah but also security threats to the nation.

If the Sabah government have the hearts and welfare of Sabahans, other Malaysians and tourists visiting Sabah, they need to serious consider having some complementary control over their own internal security.

Sabahans in the now disbanded Border Scouts have served with distinction in protecting Sabah in the past.   There is no reason why Sabahans cannot perform better than the federal forces in Sabah.

By setting up a Sabah Homeland Ministry and Department, and perhaps the issuance of its own Sabah IC and non-residents IC, the Sabah government can play an important role in providing better safety for Sabahans and its borders as well as for our tourists who are equally important visitors.