LDP welcomes RM323 mln security boost in ESSZone

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Shim

Shim

KOTA KINABALU: Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Central Women leader, Datin Shim Nyat Yun, has welcomed the RM323 million allocation to enhance the effectiveness of the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (ESSZone) operations including military deployment in the east coast of Sabah under the 2017 Budget tabled by Prime Minister cum Finance Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on Friday.

Shim hoped the allocation would effectively enhance security and curb kidnapping attempts in Sabah waters in the east coast. She said the repeated abductions in the east coast this year have caused much anxiety among the people, leading them to question on possible security flaws in the ESSZone since it was put in place two years ago, rationalising however that any security system could possibly be penetrated over time.

“Fortunately, the government has the foresight to increase the allocation for ESSZone in the budget. We hope the funding will be used to tackle security issues and improve the standard of security in the ESSZone,” she said in a press statement yesterday.

Besides that, Shim said, the Prime Minister has also announced the government’s plan to create sea basing units in the waters of Sabah’s east coast, as well as deploy new military assets in Lahad Datu and Labuan air base to beef up security and defence systems in Sabah.

Nonetheless, she hoped the Federal government will allocate funding for defence based on the level of threat in Sabah.

“The waters in Sabah east coast has almost turned into a lawless zone, hence, there must be more sophisticated military assets to overcome the security threats,” she said.

On the other hand, Shim is pleased to note that a total of RM20 million and RM30 million has been allocated for land survey in Sabah and Sarawak respectively for the Native Customary Rights (NCR) purposes. She reckons this would help prevent big firms from grabbing NCR lands en masse and the natives from being tricked into giving up their lands.

Meanwhile, she said, while the increase in the 1Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M) would benefit the low income group in Sabah, the government should consider ways to raise the income level of Sabahans.

“Young Sabahans are no longer like the generations before them. They are more inclined towards knowledge-based jobs rather than traditional industries such as agriculture, plantation or fisheries.

“The government should create more knowledge-based job opportunities that comes with medium to high income for Sabahan youths.”