KENINGAU: A group of 300 former Sabah Border Scouts who claim they face being further forgotten and discarded from the history of this beloved nation have appealed to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to come their aid.
These former Border Scouts and their families, who are mostly living in the interior, are worried of being chased out from a 45-acre settlement built under a land title being held by the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM).
“Acting on the advice of concerned members, we called for a meeting at our settlement last Saturday and about 150 turned up, including some ageing members, widows and their children,” said Saidi Jaimin, protem president of Former Sabah Border Scouts Association (PPPSS) yesterday.
Saidi said years ago the government “gave” a piece of land in Keningau for the former Border Scouts to erect their own houses by using their own limited funds.
“However, after we settled down there, in the 1990’s the PDRM took over the land from us on the premise that there is a need to build flats for the police. We, the Border Scouts were forced to leave and were given permission to relocate to our current kampung, the former ‘polis hutan’ or PPH camp area, sitting on a 45-acre land beside the JPJ (Road Transport Department) office.
“We have truly believed that after we left the land given earlier to Border Scouts, that this new area was meant to be given to us to settle down happily after, after all it is a Sabah land and only 45 acres.
“Little did we know that now there seems to be a second forced eviction for us, our members are now ageing and ill. We have just lost another two ex-Border Scouts recently and we cannot afford to let our members who were warriors during their hey-days to live in constant worry that their family would end up house-less and land-less in their own country that they once have fought for with their own life,” said Saidi.
He also said that PDRM had just fenced up their settlement and put up several signboards warning that it is a PDRM land and no one was to intrude.
“What is the meaning of all this? Our members informed me that yesterday PDRM locked or closed one exit at the back to leave us only the front gate for our members to go out and come back.
“We were not consulted. Our plight, I believe, has already reached the office of prominent leaders like Najib and we truly hope that the authority would lend us their ears and work with us for the betterment of Sabah former heroes.
“Let there be some meaning to the police slogan ‘jasamu dikenang’, after all Border Scouts, though initially was a unit under the British army, were eventually absorbed into regular police force,” they added.
Meanwhile, Sabah political activist cum journalist Kanul Gindol called on Sabah leaders to help solve the plight of these former Border Scouts, saying helping them, especially when they are now old and sick, is the most correct action by a grateful nation called Sabah they once served.
“On being invited by a friend, I did some research on Border Scouts and I went to see many of them last week in Keningau, and I just could not understand our Sabah ruling leaders did not have the heart and courage to come up with a decent idea to let these heroes and their families live a decent life.
“Straight away came into my mind that how nice it would be if the country just accedes to these Border Scouts’ final request for a mere 45 acres for their families to live on and toil the land and for the remembrance that there once existed our Sabah Border Scouts,” he said.
Kanul said he also suggested to the Border Scouts to brief all the local leaders as they go and plead their case to the Prime Minister or Chief Minister.
“It is not that the leaders were not aware, but the will to help and seek ways is just not there yet,” he said.
“I have also suggested to their committee to plan well their settlement, as currently they live on dilapidated former houses of the PPH. They may want to divide their areas into a few blocks naming each block after whatever that is relevant to them. I have also given them a pledge to help raise funds to build a small special museum for Border Scouts within their settlement, and hope in due time this museum will be an attraction in their settlement,” Kanul added.