KOTA KINABALU: The the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM) or ESSZONE cannot be considered a long-term measure for maintaining peace in the East Coast of Sabah, an economist warned this week.
Dr James Alin, associate professor of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) School of Business and Economy, said that the recent measures adopted by the government following the security crisis in Sabah would not be good for the state economy in the long run.
“As long as there is Esscom, it means Sabah is not safe,” he said, adding that in the long run the overall economy of Sabah suffer as it was an indicator to potential investors of the dangers of investing in the state.
The ESSCOM, as announced by Chief Minister Musa Aman on March 11, is a defence belt stretching along the entire east coast of the state from Kudat in the north to Tawau in the southeast, to prevent any intrusions especially from islands in the Southern Philippines.
Alin said said the security measures put in place following the Lahad Datu intrusion should not be considered a permanent solution to guard against such intrusions.
“Esscom is good as a temporary measure but not in the long run, especially for the tourism industry. Tourism is an important industry in Sabah, particularly in the East Coast districts affected by the recent incident,” he said when asked to comment on the impact of ESSCOM in terms of the economy of Sabah.
“In tourism, the presence of security forces everywhere is a bad sign. It means that you are not safe, as you need soldiers and policemen to be around with you,” he said.
Public funds utilised
He pointed to examples like in Japan where people seldom see any policemen presence in public areas giving the impression to all that everything is in order, while it was the opposite in the Philippines where the presence of many armed security personnel, escorts and security checks gave the impression that security was a concern.
“So for short term, yes, Esscom or Esszone is good. But not in the long run,” he said.
The security zone, he added, would also mean that public funds that would have been utilised for the socio-economic development of the state and people would now be channelled for security measures.
“Now we will have to invest a great amount of money on security related purposes. In the past, we have what is called a peace dividend, meaning that because we are peaceful we can use money for socio-economic development of the state and people,” he said.
“But now security competes to use that amount of money, so there will be less for development. Great investments of money and time can become a cost,” said Alin.
The government, he said, must do something quick to restore peace and order in the east coast area and then withdraw or reduce in stages the number of security forces present there.
Queville To
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