Parliament and the Sabah State Assembly should meet in urgent sessions if the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, is incapable of protecting the sovereignty of Sabah and Malaysia and the rights and safety of Sabahans.
Malaysiakini has quoted the Sunday report of Philippine Daily Inquirer today that despite the Malaysian authorities declaring an end to negotiations with more than 100 armed Filipinos who landed in Sabah early this week and saying they will be deported, the group’s leader insists that they will stay put.
Jamalul Kiram III, who claims to be ruler of the now defunct Sulu Sultanate, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that he authorised the ‘incursion’ and that his men would remain in Lahad Datu as long as needed.
Jamalul said the group, led by his younger brother crown prince Agbimuddin Kiram, would remain in Sabah for “as long as necessary” in their bid to reclaim the state, which was formerly a territory of the Sulu Sultanate.
“I sent my brother to Sabah in the name of peace and in the exercise of our historic, ancestral and sovereign right over Sabah,” Jamalul, who is in Manila, is quoted as saying by the Philippine national daily.
“It is upon us, the leaders of Sulu, to claim back what is ours,” he added
The Philippine Daily Inquirer also quoted Agbimuddin as saying that his group, holed up in a village in Lahad Datu, is equipped with an assortment of weapons, including M-14, M-16, M203, Baby Armalite and no one could make them leave unless his elder broher Jamalul decreed that they do so.
Agbimuddin added that more men, supporters of the Sulu Sultanate, were expected to join them in Sabah soon.
This report in the Philippine Daily Inquirer has made nonsense of the statements by the Bukit Aman Internal Security and Public Order director Datuk Salleh Mat Rasid and the Sabah police chief Comm Datuk Hamza Taib that negotiations were over with the more than 100 Filipino gunmen holed up at the seaside village of Tanduo in Lahad Datu and that the Malaysian authorities were ready to deport the armed group back to southern Philippines.
It has also put the Home Minister in a very bad light as the patience and confidence of Sabahans and Malaysians in Hishamuddin’s ability to resolve the stand-off at Lahat Datu speedily and in a peaceful manner have run very thin, especially as the Home Minister seems more interested and pre-occupied in playing political games in the run-up to the 13th general elections than fully focussed on security issues affecting the people and the nation, like:
• Trying to give credence to the “tall tale” that the lives of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the Korean K-pop superstar Psy were threatened during the Barisan Nasional Chinese New Year bash in Penang on Monday, when there is no iota of evidence or ounce of truth;
• Defending the outrageous detention and deportation of Australian Senator Nick Xenophon for taking up the cause of fair and clean elections in Malaysia and attracting world-wide condemnation; and
• Disseminating lies about the DAP not having submitted party election returns to the Registrar of Societies when this had been done before the Chinese New Year, raising questions whether he is preparing the grounds for the UMNO/BN government to declare DAP as an illegal and unlawful political party.
If Hishammuddin is incapable of single-mindedly focussing on resolving the stand-off with the armed Filipino group in Lahad Datu in a speedy and peaceful manner, he should let others who are capable of giving proper priority to national security issues as distinct from concocting politically-inspired controversies to do the job.
It will be most unfortunate if Hishammuddin is associated in the minds of Malaysians, particularly Sabahans, with the saying: “Nero fiddled while Rome burned”.
Hishammudin shall have to call the “Sultan” of this group to settle the issue! The sultant who gave them their identity cards! They have openly challenged a paralysed Gomen who could not do anything! Here our MARUAH has indeed gone down the drain! A Gomen paralyzed by 100 armed men who nationality we can’t even certify? An each year we spend rm$7 BILLION according to the Deputy GOP of the Amry staff!!
Kris should just resign or be fired ! But, with all of them having SO THICK SKIN, no chance and that would mean ALL TO BE FIRED by then ( each covering up for one another ).
Smell of rotten egg – MMK / Ah-C-4 up to no good, Sabahans & Rakyat Bewared !
Will Malaysia, please get our priorities right.
Lahad Datu may be far from the ivory tower in Putrajaya.
But our country is under seize. The rakyat there are living in fear. How can the authorities show no urgency to solve the problem?
How can our ministers also have “tidak apa” attitude?
However, a little surprise to note that the ‘sultan’ seem to choose this election time to claim Sabah.
I think they want Aminillo, and not Sabah.
I like to know what is the terrorists situation we have in our own shores beside Philippines – we know there are those from Indonesia. Thailand. Myanmar, Cambodia, Palestin, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc..Just how many and from where..
///the group’s leader insists that they will stay put.///
The kind and generous approach of the BN government in giving Malaysian citizenship to foreigners through Project M has emboldened the group’s leader to stay put.
That’s why it’s extremely dangerous to allow illegal foreigners to flood the country or any part of it.
Especially from the Philippines, since some of them seem to think that Sabah belongs to them!
And in this sense, those who grant them citizenship are doubly traitorous!!!!
Now, what if the thousands who were granted such citizenship decided to join hands with their brethren who wanted to take over Sabah?
They can even overwhelm the state!!!
Talking about traitors!!!!!
Hishammuddin is probably the worst Home minister in malaysian history.
Home Ministry has hit rock bottom.
Poorly handled and a weak response from the Government on the issue – and Hishamuddin is at fault as the ‘Home’ Minister. All those kris wielding moments and here we are – terrorists turning up on our shore and claim sovereignty of our land and what does he do? Play ball….except he does not have a ‘ball’ to play – pathetic!!!
I am a descendant of the emperor of China, I am here to claim Melaka because it once sent Bunga Mas to my forefathers.
I have a gut feeling that there may be something more than what the government would like us to know. Is the sovereignty of Sabah being compromised at the expense of the Sabahans in view of the coming election?
I am not a military expert or something but if a bunch of guys who are armed to the teeth could end up in our shore. Then what would you classified this ? Invasion, under siege or simply treason ? These bunch of guys get to negotiate with our authorities & refuse to leave plus claiming Sabah belongs to them. Now! dateline expired as claimed & they refuse to bulge. Do we still tolerate such bullshit & wait till kingdom comes ? I personally would like to invite Datuk Hishammuddin to live in my house in Lahad Datu with all expense paid. I would like him to feel what we Sabahans felt. The rush of blood flows IF either one party fire the first shot & the false sense of security we have over here. They can call themselves anything, but we classified them as good as Abu Sayyaf. The 1985 incident is still fresh in our mind, if the authority can’t handle this. Then i suggest the government starts issuing we citizens with fire power for home protection. Dear Datuk Hishammuddin, would you allow yourself to standby beside me when unforeseen circumstances occur ?
Nick Xen. –one man no gun = threat to national security!
Lahad Datu,– 100 men with guns= not threat to national security so let them stay as long as they want??
Malaysia BN govt logic?? Eh??
If like this, don’t be surprise one day, more from our neighbours may do similar things, send 100 men with guns, repeat 10 times, 20 times! then HOW??