Posted on

Speaking up on Lahad Datu is patriotism

Stan CH Lee
Malaysiakini
Mar 9, 2013

First off, I wish to put on record my heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the families of the soldiers who laid down their lives for the country. I do not for one moment doubt your courage and commitment to the defence of our country. Malaysians of all backgrounds owe you a debt that can never be repaid.

Defence of the country’s sovereignty is the duty of all Malaysians who love the country. National defence is not something that most people wear on their sleeves. However, this duty extends beyond the physical defence of the country, which is the job of the armed forces.

It should and must include speaking up when things are not right. This is something that we as a people have not done for so many years, having left that to our elected representatives in parliament.

However, the Lahad Datu Invasion weighs heavy on my mind, as it does that of many, many concerned Malaysians. This is not to denigrate nor trivialise the sacrifices made by our armed forces. The dangers are real. Bombs and bullets do fly. Continue reading “Speaking up on Lahad Datu is patriotism”

Posted on

Probe Umno links to Sulus

Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz | March 12, 2013
Free Malaysia Today

The bigger fear among Umno leaders is that any drastic military action would have destroyed the reservoir of potential voters among the Filipinos with Malaysian Identity Cards.

COMMENT

Umno Baru godfather Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the government misread the situation in Lahad Datu.

He said: “At first we did not think the intrusion was as an external threat for they [Sulu gunmen] were on our shore. But now that it is clear that the invasion is an attack from outside, the military was ordered to move in.”

Since this was an invasion by a group of foreign nationals threatening the safety of our country and citizens, the army should have stepped in from the very begining.

Why was the Malaysian government dilatory in dealing with the Sulu invaders?

Mahathir claims the government “acted cautiously” because the intruders were Muslims.

But the likelihood is greater that the bigger fear among Umno leaders was that drastic military action would have destroyed the reservoir of potential voters among the Filipinos with Malaysian Identity Cards, beneficiaries of Mahathir’s “Project IC” in Sabah.

To unleash our military might would be to destroy a fixed deposit that has kept Umno-Barisan Nasional in power here for decades. Continue reading “Probe Umno links to Sulus”

Posted on

If security forces given free hand to deal with Sulu gunmen as militants instead of as “intruders, neither militants nor terrorists”, Sabah Sulu crisis would have ended faster and without loss of lives of eight police personnel

Thirty days after the invasion of the east coast of Sabah by a ragtag group of armed militants and terrorists, resulting in the death of eight police personnel in Lahad Datu and Semporna some three weeks later accompanied by the most gruesome, barbaric and savage mutilation of some of the police personnel who were still alive, including finger-chopping, eye-ripping and beheading, the Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Musa, who is also the chairman of the Sabah Security Committee, suddenly realized that the ragtag group of Sulu killers were not “intruders” but “terrorists”!

From yesterday, the media were directed by Musa to stop using the term “intruder” and to use “terrorist” instead.

But what is very strange is that it is not just the media who are guilty of the misnomer, all the top guns in government from political to security leadership, from the three Ministers who drop in and out of Sabah during the duration of the crisis, namely Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, Defence Minister Zahid Hamidi and Foreign Minister Anifah Aman, to the security chiefs including the Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar and the Armed Forces Chief Gen Zulkifeli Mohd Zin were all guilty for more than four weeks in using the misnomer.

Even the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak when he finally visited Lahad Datuk on March 7, some 26 days after the first landing of Sulu terrorists on Feb. 9, also continued to talk about “intruders” instead of “terrorists” – betraying a serious problem of mindset of those responsible for managing the Sabah Sulu crisis.

There will be many unforgettable photographs preserving for posterity some the bloody and gruesome vignettes from the hitherto 30-day Sabah Sulu crisis. Among these unforgettable pics will be one showing the Home Minister in his first visit to Lahad Datuk on Feb. 18, peering at Kampong Tanduo through his powerful binoculars to survey the armed Sulu group and declaring that although the group was armed, they were “neither militants nor terrorists”. Continue reading “If security forces given free hand to deal with Sulu gunmen as militants instead of as “intruders, neither militants nor terrorists”, Sabah Sulu crisis would have ended faster and without loss of lives of eight police personnel”

Posted on

30-Day Countdown to 13GE – Open Letter to Najib proposing Cabinet decision tomorrow to convene special Parliamentary session within a week on Sabah Sulu crisis

I am today issuing this Open Letter to the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak:

“YAB Datuk Seri Najib Razak,
Prime Minister,
Malaysia.

YAB Datuk Seri,

Cabinet decision tomorrow to convene special Parliamentary session within a week on Sabah Sulu crisis to condemn cruel, inhuman and barbaric killing of Malaysian policemen by Sulu terrorists and call to Philippines Government to officially drop all claims to Sabah
———————————————————————————————————

I am still reeling from shock, horror and revulsion from the Chinese media reports yesterday about the cruel, inhuman and barbaric killings of Malaysian policemen by Sulu terrorists in the water village, Kampung Simunul in Semporna on March 2 as revealed by the Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in Ipoh on Sunday – sadistic and savage atrocities like cutting off of fingers, ripping of eyes and beheading when our fallen heroes in Semporna were still alive.

To my knowledge, this is the first time there is official confirmation of such unspeakable atrocities committed by the Sulu terrorists against members of our security forces in Semporna although there had been rumours and later confirmation of uncivilized mutilation and beheading of corpses .

I am addressing this Open Letter to you to urge the Cabinet tomorrow to take an decision of great national importance – to convene a special session of Parliament as the eight fallen national heroes from the police forces in Lahad Datu and Semporna, as well as all the security forces personnel who had suffered injury in the Sabah Sulu crisis, deserve no less than a fulsome tribute and recognition from all Ministers and Parliamentarians, regardless of political party, race, religion or region, in a special Parliamentary session.

On 12th January last year, a special Parliamentary session was convened where all MPs condemned in unison the Israeli atrocities on Palestinians in the Gaza.

YAB Prime Minister’s Cabinet and the 12th Parliament will be seriously remiss in their duties if they are not equally prepared to convene a special Parliamentary session to condemn the atrocities on the Malaysian security forces by Sulu terrorists in Lahad Datu and Semporna. Continue reading “30-Day Countdown to 13GE – Open Letter to Najib proposing Cabinet decision tomorrow to convene special Parliamentary session within a week on Sabah Sulu crisis”

Posted on

PR leaders are second to none in being patriotic and loyal to Malaysia

– Dr. Chen Man Hin
Life advisor DAP
11th March 2013

The Sulu loyalists to the self appointed Sultan of Sulu, Jamala Kirim III invaded Sabah on the 12th February 2013, the second day of the Lunar New Year.

Soon after Lim Kit Siang MP visited Sabah and travelled to Tawau, Lahad Datu and Felda Sahabat. Despite the hue and cry and the dangers of an invading force, Lim Kit Siang was in Lahad Datu and Felda Sahabat to assess the situation. Incidentally, Kit Siang was in Sabah from the 20th February, while PM Najib went to Sabah on the 2nd of March.

I too was in Sabah for three days last week, against the advice of well meaning supporters.

We went to Lahad Datu out of a sense of duty and loyalty to our country. Armed foreign invaders have landed on the coasts of Sabah. Our country was in danger. Every loyal citizen must help, especially political leaders. Continue reading “PR leaders are second to none in being patriotic and loyal to Malaysia”

Posted on

31-Day Countdown to 13GE –Special meeting of Parliament more urgent to condemn cruel, inhuman and barbaric killing of Malaysian policemen by Sulu gunmen and unanimous call to Philippines Government to officially drop all claims to Sabah

Malaysians are shocked, disgusted and outraged by the cruel, inhuman and barbaric killing of Malaysian policemen by Sulu gunmen in Semporna as revealed by the Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in Ipoh yesterday – sadistic acts like the mutilation of bodies with the ripping of eyes, decapitating heads and cutting up bodies.

Most shocking of all was Zahid’s revelation that some of the fallen heroes in Semporna had their fingers cut off when still alive.

These are completely unacceptable conduct even in war-time and must be condemned in the strongest possible terms by all Malaysians as well as the international community although Zahid said it was possible that the killers were under the influence of drugs or were using black magic as a reason for their brutality.

The eight policemen killed in the shoot-outs with Sulu gunmen in Lahad Datu and Semporna are national heroes who had given their lives in the defence of national sovereignty and security of the people of Sabah, and they deserve to be remembered as national heroes with the nation bearing full responsibility for the welfare of their surviving family and children, including life-long education to university level for all the children of the fallen heroes.

Zahid’s shocking revelations of the cruel, bestial and uncivilized killing of the policemen in Semporna by Sulu gunmen reinforces the urgency and need to call a special meeting of Parliament which should pass an unanimous resolution by all MPs, regardless of political party, race or religion at least on five subjects, viz: Continue reading “31-Day Countdown to 13GE –Special meeting of Parliament more urgent to condemn cruel, inhuman and barbaric killing of Malaysian policemen by Sulu gunmen and unanimous call to Philippines Government to officially drop all claims to Sabah”

Posted on

Star and MCA’s total distortion of my tribute to the eight policemen who died as national heroes in Lahad Datu and Semporna in shoot-outs with Sulu gunmen

My attention has been drawn to today’s Sunday Star report “MCA defends RM2,000 aid to families of slain cops”, which is a total distortion of my tribute to the eight policemen who died as national heroes in Lahad Datu and Semporna in the shoot-outs with Sulu gunmen.

Star quoted the MCA national organising secretary Datuk Tee Siew Kong accusing me of “a ploy to politicise the fatalities” and that I was “out to discredit the services and responsibilities of the uniformed personnel killed while protecting our nation”.

This is utter nonsense.

I stand by my unqualified tribute to the eight police commandos for their highest act of patriotic duty in giving their lives in the defence of national sovereignty and security of the people.

I also stand by my conviction that these eight police commandoes should not have died if the security forces had been given a free hand to professionally handle the Sabah Sulu crisis, but I do not want at this stage to get into an argument about the role of irresponsible politicians whether for their treason in creating grave security problems in Sabah or for their inept leadership which posed grave threat to life and limb of security forces personnel. Continue reading “Star and MCA’s total distortion of my tribute to the eight policemen who died as national heroes in Lahad Datu and Semporna in shoot-outs with Sulu gunmen”

Posted on

Gift or Nightmare for Najib?

By Kee Thuan Chye
MSN Malaysia
7th March 2013

The ongoing Sabah crisis could turn out to be the gift Prime Minister Najib Razak was hoping for to help his Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition to victory at the impending general election, which he has yet to call, or a ticking bomb instead.

In rejecting the ceasefire proposed by the Sulu Sultan whose followers landed in Lahad Datu more than three weeks ago to reclaim Sabah as their ancestral homeland, Najib has scored much-needed positive points. Already, even his detractors have expressed support for his stand. They now declare that for once, he is saying something “sensible”, that they are agreeing with him “for the first time”.

Some, however, are saying this is “the only right thing” he has done during the whole crisis. Nonetheless, if he manages to pull off a decisive victory over the intruders, votes, especially from fence-sitters, might actually drop to BN.

But Najib has to do it before the general election has to be held, the absolute last date for which is June 28. If the crisis is not resolved before the general election, his ineffectiveness as prime minister would be exposed. He needs to win the conflict decisively, like Margaret Thatcher won the Falklands War in 1982 and went on to resuscitate her flagging popularity at the UK general election the following year. Continue reading “Gift or Nightmare for Najib?”

Posted on

Debunk the Five Big Lies of UMNO/BN 13GE Campaign

Tonight, on the fifth anniversary of the “308 political tsunami” of March 8, 2008, I want to debunk the five Big Lies of the Umno/Barisan Nasional 13th General Elections campaign.

Lie No. 1 – that Malaysia will be bankrupt in five, three or even two years’ time (depending on which Umno/BN leader is telling the lie) if Pakatan Rakyat forms the Federal Government after the 13 GE.

Only a person with a very low IQ will make or believe such a lie.

Have the state governments of Penang, Selangor, Kedah and Kelantan which are run by Pakatan Rakyat gone bankrupt after five years in the case of Penang, Selangor and Kedah and for over 22 years in the case of Kelantan?

If Pakatan Rakyat succeeds in the journey to Putrajaya in the 13GE, we want to be the Federal Government not just for one term, but also to be able to continue to get the national mandate to govern Malaysia in the 14th, 15th and future general elections.

The fastest way to end Pakatan Rakyat’s mandate to govern Malaysia is to lead the country to bankruptcy and economic ruin and this is the last thing that a Pakatan Rakyat government in Putrajaya will do.

In fact, a Pakatan Rakyat government in Putrajaya will prove that we can govern Malaysia better than Umno/Barisan Nasional, leading the country to new heights in national unity and harmony, good governance, international competitiveness and economic prosperity. Continue reading “Debunk the Five Big Lies of UMNO/BN 13GE Campaign”

Posted on

Intrusion confusion – A farcical invasion of Borneo gets serious, and nasty

The Economist
Mar 9th 2013

FIGHTER aircraft gave covering fire as Malaysian troops mounted what their government hoped would be the final assault on a coastal village in the Malaysian state of Sabah, on the island of Borneo, on March 5th. Their mission was to end a three-week-old incursion by scores of Filipinos, some armed, who call themselves the Royal Army of the Sultanate of Sulu. But the intruders slipped away.

The intruders had occupied the village to stake a claim to Sabah by the man they recognise as the sultan of Sulu, Jamalul Kiram III, whose forebears once held sway over parts of Borneo and of what is now the Philippines, but who himself is a Filipino citizen living in Manila. After the assault, the sultan called for a ceasefire, but told his followers to stay put. If the Malaysian government thought the assault would end the incursion, it was mistaken. Its mistake is one of a series which threatens to turn what originally had the air of a quaint historical pageant played out with live ammunition into a real guerrilla war.

The Philippine government made the first mistake three years ago, by mislaying a letter from the sultanate asking it to take into account the claim to Sabah in peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), a rebel group that had been fighting for independence for Muslim areas in the south of the mainly Christian Philippines. Previous governments had pressed the sultan’s claim. More recent governments have let it lie dormant, not least because Malaysia is the broker of peace between the government and the MILF. A preliminary peace agreement signed last year makes no mention of the claim. The sultan was slighted. Continue reading “Intrusion confusion – A farcical invasion of Borneo gets serious, and nasty”

Posted on

Sabah east coast limping back to life

Azman Habu | March 7, 2013
Free Malaysia Today

The general consensus is that the situation in Lahad Datu is safe because Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is visiting.

LAHAD DATU: Life is creeping back into this east coast seaside town a week after the shock invasion and subsequent assault on an armed group of Filipino invaders who took over a remote village there.

The first signs that residents here are cautiously getting back to their routine, was when parents started dropping off their children at schools that reopened today in the town area after closing last Friday.

Only schools in town area are open. Those outside the town and near the conflict area of the Felda plantations remain closed.

“Schools are opened today but many student did not come to class probably because their parents are still unsure of the situation,” a resident said today.

Shops and businesses have also started to slowly reopen over the last few days and the daily traffic congestion on roads leading into the town areas that was habitual before the crisis broke has resumed.

“It looks like its back to almost normal but people are cautious and still uneasy,” said a parent hurriedly dropping off his child at school this morning. Continue reading “Sabah east coast limping back to life”

Posted on

BN must be destroyed

Dean Johns
Malaysiakini
Mar 6, 2013

I’ve expressed this obvious message in so many ways over the years – in attempts to spice it up with variety – all to no apparent avail thus far, that it strikes me that I should try mindless repetition for a change.

This will be terribly tedious for us all of course, but the possible gain could be well worth our collective pain. Because repetition of the patently, blatantly obvious has worked a treat in the past.

Most famously, as history recalls, for Cato the Elder, who in the years between 175 and 146BC bored his fellow ancient Romans witless by ending his every speech in the senate with the statement that “Carthage must be destroyed”.

Four words that for years rendered Cato a figure of fun. But finally taken seriously and given force by the Roman sword, they proved to be a death sentence to the dreaded Carthage.

Thus my hopes for the similar success of my mantra for the foreseeable future, or at least until Malaysia’s endlessly-awaited 13th general election: BN must be destroyed.

Admittedly, BN is not a foreign threat to Malaysia as Carthage was to Rome. But this criminal coalition is arguably as dangerous to the future of the Malaysia and Malaysians as any external enemy might be.

For more than 50 years, and especially in the past 30, BN has been an insidious, creeping evil attacking and infesting Malaysia by stealth.

Steadily stealing as much of the nation’s land, oil, timber, corporate wealth and hard cash as it can get away with, and simultaneously robbing Malaysians of all possible forms of defence or redress.

BN may not be an invader, but it is certainly an all-pervader. It has systematically colonised and co-opted the civil services at every level from federal to local with its own relatives, cronies, sycophants and place-seekers. Continue reading “BN must be destroyed”

Posted on

Revoking citizenship status for who?

— The Malaysian Insider
Mar 07, 2013

MARCH 7 — While the country’s attention has been focused on the military offensive to get rid of Sulu gunmen in Sabah’s east coast, Umno-controlled media TV3 and its sister stations are highlighting demands calling for politician Chua Tian Chang’s citizenship to be reviewed and revoked.

Demanding citizenship to be revoked is now new in Malaysia. Other groups have asked the same for Bersih co-chair Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan for her call for electoral reforms.

Now the PKR vice-president, popularly known as Tian Chua, is the latest to get that treatment for allegedly questioning who is behind the Lahad Datu standoff and violence.

This comes at a time when both sides say the issue should not be politicised as security forces need to focus on getting rid of the Filipino militants who want to claim Sabah in the name of the Sulu sultanate.

Now what if the shoe is on the other foot? Will TV3 report it and devote 15 minutes of airtime to cover such events?

Have they covered testimony of Umno officials involved in Project IC — the citizenship-for-votes caper now being investigated by a royal commission of inquiry (RCI)? Continue reading “Revoking citizenship status for who?”

Posted on

M’sian Armed Forces versus Sulu gunmen in Sabah: Lessons for S’pore

By David Boey
AsiaOne
Thursday, Mar 07, 2013

The writer, a former defence correspondent for the Straits Times, maintains Senang Diri , a blog about Singapore defence matters ( http://kementah.blogspot.sg/).

SINGAPORE – A week ago, Malaysia’s defence information officers were busy ramping up publicity for the Malaysian Army’s 80th Anniversary celebrations – a happy occasion that culminated in a massive show of force by Tentera Darat Malaysia (Malaysian Army) in Port Dickson.

After a weekend on duty, their pace of work increased dramatically with real operations in the East Malaysian state of Sabah. Ongoing operations by Malaysian security forces against Filipino gunmen in Lahad Datu, Sabah, mean that it will be sometime yet before information officers from Cawangan Perhubungan Awam (Public Relations Department) at Kementerian Pertahanan (Kementah, the Malaysian Ministry of Defence) can enjoy a restful weekend.

The exposure to real operations in Sabah will reward Kementah’s information officers with firsthand experience managing hearts and minds operations during an unfolding operation that has international dimensions.

Add in the timing of the operation, which was triggered during the run-up to the Malaysian General Elections, and the information officers entrusted to handle media operations will get a chance to learn invaluable lessons in calibrating domestic political considerations during an unfolding operation other than war (OOTW).

While it is early days yet before defence observers can compile a credible blow by blow account of the assault, here are some preliminary thoughts on the situation: Continue reading “M’sian Armed Forces versus Sulu gunmen in Sabah: Lessons for S’pore”

Posted on

Najib’s stand of unconditional surrender for the Sulu militants deserves the support of all Malaysians

The Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s stand of unconditional surrender for the Sulu militants deserves the support of all Malaysians.

There is neither basis nor merit in the call for ceasefire or the unilateral ceasefire by the Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, after eight police commandoes had been slain and some of their corpses treated in the most harrowing and bestial manner after they had fallen as national heroes in the cause of national duty to protect national sovereignty and the security of the state and people.

All Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region or political affiliation, are united as one in giving full endorsement to all necessary measures by the government and the security forces to end the month-long battle against Sulu militants.

All Malaysians support the online petition by the group identified as “Concerned Citizens of Sabah” that Sabahans want to “remain Malaysians”.

DAP fully endorses the sentiments in the online petition that while Sabah has a “shared history” with its neighbours, “the people of Sabah are not politically beholden to these historical ties”. Continue reading “Najib’s stand of unconditional surrender for the Sulu militants deserves the support of all Malaysians”

Posted on

Najib owes the rakyat answers

Jeswan Kaur | March 7, 2013
Free Malaysia Today
March 7, 2013

Lives have been lost in Lahad Datu all because the prime minister failed to uphold his responsibility of keeping the country and its people safe and secure.

COMMENT

After eight policemen died at the hands of intruders in Lahad Datu, the prime minister has come to his senses and declared that he has to defend Malaysia’s dignity and sovereignty.

This knee-jerk reaction from Najib Tun Razak in an attempt to do some damage-control has not appeased the rakyat; it has instead raised their hackles.

The Lahad Datu drama has raised a host of questions, all of which point to the federal government’s failure in averting bloodshed.

More precisely, the Lahad Datu debacle has revealed that Najib lacks perspicacity in preventing a crisis and this is a major cause for concern for the country and her people.

On March 1, armed intruders from the so-called Sulu army fired at policemen on duty in Lahad Datu, killing two of them and another six officers in Semporna the following day.

Najib was reported to have said that following the armed intrusion in Lahad Datu on Feb 12, the government adopted the approach of resolving the issue without bloodshed.

The unwise call by Najib today holds him accountable for the deaths of the eight policemen.

Had Barisan Nasional leaders been “on their toes” instead of prancing about for public sympathy and votes to secure a win in the general election, the Lahad Datu tragedy could have been avoided.

It is baffling that Najib decided to take a soft approach to the intrusion when the intruders themselves came armed to kill. Continue reading “Najib owes the rakyat answers”

Posted on

Can Malaysia defend itself?

P Gunasegaram
Malaysiakini
4:25PM Mar 6, 2013

QUESTION TIME The way the entire Lahad Datu intrusion/ insurgency/invasion – or whatever else one may want to call it – has been handled raises grave doubts over Malaysia’s ability to defend itself without fear or favour against anyone who infringes upon its territorial integrity and sovereignty.

That it has allowed itself to be lulled into such a state of complacency and lack of urgency, and seems to have totally underestimated the enemy is quite astonishing. And when it moved in after much foot-dragging it had nothing but embarrassment to show for it.

How could the authorities responsible for security have allowed the situation to balloon into such a serious violation of Malaysia?

And how could Malaysia have continued to allow a claim on part of its territory to go on for such a long time, even appearing to cuddle up to those making those claims?

Remember, this is the country, perhaps the first in the world, to have successfully contained and eventually beaten back the sustained armed communist insurrection and then faced down a confrontation from its big-brother neighbour Indonesia in 1965.

Have we gone slack in the intervening years and have we begun to severely underestimate the many threats of terrorist groups in this region? Are we fully capable of dealing with a sudden armed incursion into our country? Continue reading “Can Malaysia defend itself?”

Posted on

Sabah Incursion: Just my thoughts

― Art Harun
The Malaysian Insider
Mar 06, 2013

MARCH 6 ― The incursion by the Sulu terrorists into Sabah is a culmination of socio-political complexities that were ignored due to post-World War II socio-political order and convenience.

Firstly, we have an ancient Sultanate living in the 18th century, forgetting the fact that their forefathers have sold their sovereignty for self interest, without nary a thought for the people whom they claim to rule, in exchange for what appeared to be big money then, but reduced to pittance in the 21st century.

We have a so-called Sultan who apparently rules his subjects from Manila, who speaks as if he’s the most benevolent of rulers and who sent his subjects to a hopeless war from within the comfort of Metro Manila.

Secondly, we have a government of a state ― which is not really a state ― that fails to control and impose law and order on wide areas of the so-called state, giving rise to vast areas where people do not really recognise the state and her government. Continue reading “Sabah Incursion: Just my thoughts”

Posted on

Questions about Lahad Datu Crisis

By Kee Thuan Chye
Malaysian Digest
6.3.2013

Malaysians cannot but be shocked by what is happening in Sabah. And although our security forces are now hunting the remaining Sulu Sultanate intruders after having bombarded them in Kampung Tanduo in Lahad Datu, the crisis is far from over.

Meanwhile, questions abound in the minds of the lay public.

How did the intruders sneak into Lahad Datu from Feb 9 onwards, more than three weeks ago? There were reportedly as many as 300 of them, some heavily armed. How did that escape detection? Our Special Branch is highly regarded as being among the best intelligence units in the world. Did it not get wind of this incursion early enough?

Once the intruders had entered Lahad Datu, and after they had openly declared their intentions for intruding – which was to reclaim the area as their ancestral homeland – why did the Malaysian Government not react quickly enough to get them out?

A claim like that is a serious one and if it was not immediately nipped in the bud could lead to bigger implications. As it has turned out, these implications are beginning to emerge.

And yet, for two weeks, the Government humoured the intruders by engaging in, so the public was told by Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, diplomatic negotiations. Political commentators called it giving them kid gloves’ treatment. Continue reading “Questions about Lahad Datu Crisis”