Malaysia’s failure to protect Malaysians, ensure security and stop illegal Filipinbo immigrants from freely entering Sabah to threaten Malaysians highlighted only when a foreign tourist is killed and another kidnapped. Taiwanese media and TV stations have painted a negative picture of Malaysia as a failed state by reporting on alleged lax security, slow police response and bad PR in handling the incident that involved two Taiwanese victims.
There is a lack of persistence and absence of disciplined focus on fundamentals of maintaining security. Malaysian police had said that a resort guard ran to inform the General Operations Force (GOF) base about 800m away. Taiwanese television reported that when a guard who heard the gunshots during the incident tried to contact police, eight of the officers on the island did not respond to him.
This fundamental failure and the fact that the incident happened about less than 1km from one of the bases of the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom), which was set up after the Feb 12 Sulu intrusion in Lahad Datu, is the clearest proof that Esscom has failed to carry out its fundamental duty. The Filipino terrorists have also shown that they do not fear the Malaysian security forces.
That such criminal acts can happen so near to the ESSCOM bases has shattered the illusion of public safety. In other words, this security breakdown have shown that there are no safe areas from attacks by such Filipino terrorists.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein’s feeble attempt to deflect Taiwanese anger and avoid blame by remarking that this incident could happen anywhere is both insensitive and irresponsible as well as cold comfort to either the victims or their families. No amount of damage control by the BN government can hide the fact that the security in ESSCOM areas have failed.
The challenge is what corrective action can be taken to put the fear of God into these criminals terrorising Malaysians in these areas and ensure that there will be no repeat of such barbaric acts against innocent Malaysians and tourists. Unfortunately the authorities have neither said nor done anything that has given confidence that the terrorists will be punished and the victims rescued or that there will be no repeat of similar security breakdowns.
If the Malaysian government cannot provide and ensure security, perhaps they should seek assistance from international bodies such as the United Nations. I am certain that the United Nations will reciprocate such requests for help since Malaysia has contributed much to the United Nations Peacekeeping forces throughout the world.