According to Malaysiakini’s report on February 18, 2013, in an interview with the Philippine media, Agbimuddin Kiram (the brother of self-proclaimed Sulu sultan Jamalul Kiram) who led the armed group – the self-styled Royal Army of the Sultanate of Sulu – into Sabah, had declared that his men were equipped with “all kinds” of weapons including M-14, M-16, M203 and Armalite assault rifles.
The group comprising those from the Tausug and Bajau communities from Jolo, Basilan and Tawi Tawi in the Philippines have been landing in batches since February 09, 2013 although Malaysian police only detected their presence three days later!
This of course, confirms that our border with Philippines is not only porous but that our security forces are incapable of safeguarding our territorial integrity. Are we really that incompetent?
Imagine what would have happened had this ragtag army been 10,000 strong instead. Sabah would have been unilaterally declared a Philippine province by now. Is our defense minister sleeping on the job?
Imagine what would have happened had this ragtag army been 10,000 strong instead. Sabah would have been unilaterally declared a Philippine province by now. Is our defense minister sleeping on the job?
Anyway, three extensions to the Sulu gunmen to leave Sabah have all expired and indications are that they are digging in to stay. When deadlines can be moved like shifting goal posts, surely this is indicative of a weak government.
A further embarrassment revealed itself when Philippine President Benigno Aquino on Tuesday made a televised appeal to Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III and his followers to stand down and leave the territory peacefully. And Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Jose Brillantes was dispatched to Kuala Lumpur to help end the stand-off.
It looks as if Aquino is more concerned about the Lahad Datu crisis than the Malaysian Prime Minister. It's baffling why Najib Razak should see fit to keep silent throughout the incident. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t pin the blame on Najib – it is not fair! Malaysians must understand that he is so bogged down by an affluence of scandals and more importantly, he is still mulling the “winnable” date to summon GE13. That is why he cannot be at all bothered with the armed incursion into Sabah and therefore, it is best for him to stay mum.
For all you know, Najib might have thought that the Filipinos who found their way to Lahad Datu were actually “Cuti Cuti Malaysia” tourists. They came at the invitation of Ng Yen Yen. And when they heard of our high-reaching crime rate, they brought along weapons to protect themselves!
It is obvious that Aquino shows more leadership than Najib. The country’s sovereignty is a teeny-weeny matter as compared to Najib’s single-minded focus to keep his job!
There is this believable claim purportedly made by a lawyer with links to the Sultanate of Sulu that the arrival of the armed group was a prelude to the filing of a petition by the Sulus before the United Nations for the “decolonization” of Sabah (The Philippine Star at webpage http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2013/02/16/909400/sulu-sultans-army-stakes-sabah-claim, dated February 16, 2013). He had explained that before filing the UN petition, the sultanate must first show proof that it is occupying the territory in question.
“I believe the presence of the Sultanate royal army is to bolster their claim that they have already re-occupied their ancestral land,” the lawyer added.
Now isn’t the Lahad Datu saga getting to be very intriguing?
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