ESSCOM move not mere rhetoric – Hisham

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SANDAKAN:The establishment of the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM) is important to ensure the security in Sabah is maintained and is not just rhetoric, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.

“In order to ensure that security is maintained in Sabah, this matter has to be studied comprehensively and properly planned. Hence, the Chief Secretary to the Government, the Director-General of Implementation Coordination Unit and the Director-General of Public Service will come to Sabah tomorrow (today, 15 March) to study the implementation and additional requirements.

“I have gone to Tawau, Semporna and now at Sandakan to gain feedback from all relevant agencies like the maritime enforcement agency and other similar agencies responsible maintaining security in the state,” he told reporters after attending a briefing at the Sandakan police headquarters here yesterday.

He assured the people here that Sandakan is safe and under control despite the many rumours that had spread following the intrusion incident at Lahad Datu.

“Though not even one of the rumours had been proven true, we should always be alert and cautious too,” he said.

He explained that not all the areas in Lahad Datu had been classified as ‘hot areas’ except for several target places as announced by Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar.

“The government and the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak assure that our stability, harmony and peace are secured,” he said.

Hishammuddin also praised the proactive approach taken by the authorities in this district which clearly show that the action of Sulu gunmen were not reflected in the Sulu communities here.

He said it is important to assure the people here by informing them of the real situation either through the cyber media or by any other existing approaches.

“Disseminating information on the real situation is really important, but somehow it needs to be improved by learning from our past experience,” he added.

Meanwhile, commenting on the allegation of a mastermind being involved, he said further investigation needed to be undertaken to prove whether there really was a ‘mastermind’ behind the intrusion incident.

“It would definitely take time and whether it will be revealed to the public through official channel or not depends on the decision of our top leaders. It is not a time for us to politicize the incident, but a time for us to be united to maintain the peace and stability despite our political differences,” he said.