KOTA KINABALU: The audacity of the cross border kidnappers to strike at the heart of Sandakan on the mainland of Sabah during curfew hours shows the contempt that these foreign gunmen have for the Malaysian security forces, said former chief minister Datuk Yong Teck Lee.
Once again, he said the foreign intruding gunmen had inflicted so much humiliation on Malaysia that neither a ministerial “resignation in disgrace” nor another “RM500 offer to slap Home Minister” would be enough to appease the anger of Sabahans or restore the confidence of the people towards the authorities in securing Sabah.
As usual and again, while the government and Home Minister only lose face, it is Sabahans who pay the heavy price, in every sense of the word “price”, he said in a statement yesterday.
Yong recalled that in August 2014, the Sabah Commissioner of Police had declared that the police had the strategy to catch the Tawi Tawi-based kidnappers and killers and that “when they return, we will arrest them.”
“The kidnappers and killers have indeed returned but left with two hostages grabbed from the top seafood restaurant frequented by government ministers and tourists in the urban mainland of Sabah within the vicinity of navy and police marine bases,” he said.
He said the intrusion by foreign gunmen in Sandakan, Sabah’s second city, is again calling into question the guarantees of security promised to Sabah as the basis for the formation of Malaysia.
In fact, events unfolding in the Philippines like of the failure of the Philippines Congress (parliament) to pass the Basic Bangsamoro Law as scheduled on May 11, and the failure of the OIC to forge peace between the warring factions of MILF and MNLF and the emergence of “lost commands” cast a worrying scenario for Sabah, said Yong who is the president of Sabah Progressive Party.
“I believe that ESSCom has done its best and the Federal government has given all that it can spare in combating cross border crimes. But since the best is still not enough, so now how?
Meanwhile, PKR Sabah deputy chief Christina Liew is calling on the state and federal governments to boost the security level in Sabah following the abduction of two people in Sandakan on Thursday night.
The Api Api assemblywoman said it was shocking that another kidnapping happened in Sabah.
“What happened to our security forces? Sabah is now heaven to the kidnappers who are treating the state like an automated teller machine (ATM),” she claimed.
“I hereby call on Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman, being the head of the security in the state of Sabah, to re-look at the action plans in safeguarding the state from further intrusion by the kidnappers,” she said.
Christina lamented that the image of Sabah is at stake and the abduction case will result in a setback for the state’s tourism sector.
She stressed that the federal government has the duty to make sure Sabah is safe for the people in the state as well as tourists.
“Walk the talk please. First it happened in Lahad Datu, then Semporna and Kunak. Now Sandakan. Where will the next target be? People are now living in fear,” Christina pointed out.