Abdul Yakub Arbi
KUCHING (July 26): Balingian assemblyman Abdul Yakub Arbi has expressed his concern with the ‘silent’ attitude of the government, especially Wisma Putra, on the issue of China’s aggression in Malaysia’s airspace and waters in the South China Sea.
He said such act clearly violates the country’s sovereignty while the issue of encroachment has been talked about a lot especially by the representatives of the people from Sarawak and Sabah for the past few years.
“This crisis however has gone on for a long time and should not be taken for granted nor should it be met with silence to protect the interests of a few parties, even if it violates the rights and sovereignty of the country.
“I think this is not right, I am more and more worried about China’s breach of our airspace and waters in the South China Sea. Don’t we all see, since 2021 there have been reports revealing that China’s so-called invisible fighter jets, the J-20, have been hovering in the airspace of the East China Sea and the South China Sea to conduct routine patrols and exercises?
“This behaviour can actually harm shipping and fishing activities. A note of objection should be made through diplomatic channels immediately,” he pointed out in a statement yesterday.
Yakub suggested that Sarawak proactively take a diplomatic approach so that China understands the concerns of local fishermen who depend on the sea for sustenance.
He also opined that the government should also think about its people, hence keeping silent on the issue should not be an option.
He suggested that Wisma Putra and the Ministry of Defence move a resolution to defend the sovereignty of the country, especially the safety of the people of Sarawak and Sabah.
“The series of space and maritime invasions of Borneo and the East Coast of the Peninsular Malaysia that occurred after the Covid-19 pandemic seems to give the impression that the government does not have a mitigation and recovery plan for this crisis which is quite worrying.
“What happened between the Chinese air force and our army reminds us of our country’s unpreparedness for this kind of situation. Does this not worry us?” he said.
As the Philippines, Vietnam and Brunei have all officially got themselves involved in the disputed South China Sea, Malaysia is not alone in this dispute, he explained.
He said Malaysia must realise that it is clear that the Asean countries have taken a position against the dishonest actions of the Chinese military; hence there is no need for any sort of silence from the Malaysian government anymore.
“All major countries such as China, Russia and the United States need to understand and never take advantage by holding military exercises in the China Sea that can clearly invite provocation, a security threat that could eventually turn it into a war zone.
“The fact is that everyone needs to respect each other’s national sovereignty in this region and not take advantage because the South China Sea region has always been peaceful and safe for fishing boats before,” he stressed.
Yakub was also alarmed after knowing that 89 warnings of encroachment had taken place from 2016 to 2019 according to the National Auditor General’s Report Series 3 (2018).
There are territorial disputes in the South China Sea involving conflicting island and maritime claims in the region by several sovereign states, namely Brunei, the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Taiwan (Republic of China/ROC), Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam.
Wikipedia.org has mentioned that China’s actions in the South China Sea have been described as part of its “salami slicing”/ “cabbage wrapping” strategies, and since 2015 the United States and other countries such as France and the United Kingdom have conducted freedom of navigation operations (FONOP) in the region.
The website further explained that China’s salami slicing refers to a strategy by which the government of China is said to use small provocations, none of which would constitute a casus belli by itself, but cumulatively produce a much larger action or result in China’s favour which would have been difficult or unlawful to perform all at once.