Shut down Esscom and go back to basics
Recently, four innocent Malaysians trying to earn a decent living were kidnapped off Sabah coast by the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group based in the southern Philippines.
This is not the first time the Abu Sayyaf has encroached into Malaysian waters to kidnap Malaysian citizens for ransom.
From 2001 to 2015, as many as eight people were murdered by this terror group. More than 10 people have been kidnapped and freed after ransoms were paid or they were rescued by the Philippine security forces. Those who could not afford the large sums of money demanded would end up being beheaded by the terrorists.
In the wake of the latest kidnapping, we wonder what Putrajaya’s next course of action will be.
It is not enough to just showcase the military might on national television and mainstream media -- the various assets from special forces, commandos, police speedboats, naval patrol craft, coast guard vessels, tanks and submarines to fighter jets “ever ready” to confront this terrorist group.
Even recently, Prime Minister Najib Razak said that the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) has been strengthened to cope with the threats of cross-border intrusions and kidnappings. According to Najib, the numbers of patrol vessels, aircraft and armed forces personnel have been increased and police presence in the state’s east coast has been strengthened.
Putrajaya also claimed that the military radar defence system in Sabah has been upgraded to provide full coverage in the state to enhance the safety and security of its coastlines.
The latest kidnapping still happened despite increased firepower and enhanced security measures. What happened?
Esscom, which was established in March 2013, has been a total failure in preventing intrusions and kidnappings. Seems like Sabah has become a one-stop centre for these terrorists. The showcasing of the country’s military might and talk of better security by the government ring hollow in the face of the latest security breach.
Esscom is a total failure -- its command structure is a failure and its leadership is a failure. The funny thing is that Sabah Tourism Minister Masidi Manjun has even said that Esscom is continuously learning and this incident would be a learning experience for them.
At the rate things are going, it will be a costly learning experience. How many more kidnappings would the people have to endure? How many more deaths would have to occur before things are set in order?
Wrong priorities
The fact is Putrajaya has misplaced its priorities in dealing with security. It seems opposition leaders, civil rights leaders and critics are more of a “threat” to our nation than the Abu Sayyaf group.
Instead putting top priority to ensuring public safety and safeguarding the nation’s sovereignty, the government seems bent on protecting the political security of the ruling party.
Much resources were concentrated on purging opposition leaders, civil society leaders and critics, monitoring social media and going after online news portals instead of utilising them to ensure our nation’s borders are safe from any foreign intrusion.
Apart from that, the various security and intelligence apparatuses of the country have been used to carry out surveillance and spying on opposition parties, civil societies, human rights activists, critics and political dissidents instead of doing intelligence and counter-espionage against foreign threats.
The continuous intrusion by this terror group has proven Putrajaya’s negligence, and this could lead to more serious incidents like an invasion of Sabah by Abu Sayyaf if the government does not set its security priorities right.
If Putrajaya continues to see opposition groups as more dangerous than the real terrorists out there, no number of Esscoms would help. The safety and security of the people of Sabah and Sarawak should be taken more seriously by the government.
Stop giving excuses, disband Esscom and immediately and go back to basics. What are the basic roles and responsibilities of the police, army, navy, coast guards and air force? In getting all these agencies to work together, there is already a joint command to handle it.
If Putrajaya could stop politicising this issue, maybe more lives could be saved and further intrusions prevented.
Esscom is not needed, just common sense!
