Ending the Lahad Datu stand-off

COMMENT It was not unintentional that the Sulu invaders ended up in Kampong Tanduo near Lahad Datu in Sabah. They are here not because their boats ran adrift.

They came armed and prepared to stake their long-standing claim to land they believe was owned by their ancestors. They are adamant they won’t return to their place of origin empty-handed.

From the statements reported to be issued by Malacanang Palace in Manila, we can assume that the intruders have the moral support of Filipinos.

If it can be established that the last ‘rent for the use of Sabah’ was really paid in 1963, then all the more we will not be able to arbitrarily dismiss their claim as illegitimate.

Singapore’s strength in claiming sovereignty over Pulau Batu Puteh depended very much on just a short letter by the acting Johor state secretary of 1953.  

History and legitimacy of the claims aside, the home minister cannot just pray and hope for the stand-off to extinguish itself. Armed intrusion into the country is a separate matter entirely and must be confronted without hesitation, regardless of the nationality of the people involved.

The intruders must be told in no uncertain terms that they are now in our territory and must observe and conform to the laws of our country. Whatever is discussed must be on our terms, not theirs. We talk, they listen and not the other way round.

They must be made to put down their arms and surrender, and face the full weight of our laws. If they refused to obey, the security forces must apply their rules of engagement. It is not that we want to see  bloodshed, but this is how our sovereignty should be preserved and defended.

This is not a task for the faint-hearted or indecisive commanders.

None of the invaders, regardless of their race, religion or age, should be allowed to return home scot free. They have to a great extent deprived the local population of free movement and attention to daily routine.

If the invaders think they have a legitimate claim over Sabah - for that matter, even if the land is no bigger than a football field - then we have the International Court of Justice to adjudicate on the matter. Our citizens will never get kind treatment in other countries if they are caught committing crimes.

I have just read a report where an Indonesian maid, Yuliana, 23 and a mother of two from Sukarame in Aceh, Indonesia, has been sentenced to a total of 20 years’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to two counts of abusing a four-month-old baby boy. The video of how she abused the boy even went viral.

As the judge rightly said, what she did not only had a huge impact on the victim’s family but resulted in society becoming afraid and losing peace of mind about leaving children with their maids.

Sessions Court judge Mohd Azhar Othman should be applauded for his firmness in passing a severe sentence on the maid.

That should be the way our laws are imposed - without fear or favour and without taking into account the race, religion or political inclination of the accused person or any person who breaks the law.

The same resolve must be applied when dealing with the Sulu invaders, especially when they are fully aware of the consequences of their actions.

Incident being stage-managed?

Both the defence and home ministers must accept the fact that once religion and politics are allowed to creep into an organisation’s operational procedures, it will become weak and easily defeated. The ministers should not let these two elements get the better of them.

Soldiers don’t stop for the solat prayer while a war is in progress - they perform this later when the war is over ... if they are still alive.

Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein should not take into consideration the age, physical appearance or religion of the invaders when deciding on what action to take.

If he fails to act on account of claims that they are old and appear under-nourished, or that they are Muslims, then he must explain why he had ordered the detention of septuagenarian A Samad Said while he was walking unarmed, wearing a yellow T-shirt and only carrying a bottle of mineral water.

The Sulu army’s invasion has not only caused anxiety and concern about the lapse of security in Sabah waters, but questions the state of readiness of our defence forces to keep watch over our territory.

Politicians across the divide in Sabah and at th federal level should not even think of trying to earn political mileage out of this episode.The lives of innocent people and of the security forces have been put at risk.

Should the stand-off end during the upcoming dissolution of Parliament and the invaders are allowed to return home without sanctions, Hishammuddin will be credited as a hero and Najib Abdul Razak as an even bigger hero.

Then, citizens can come to only one conclusion - that the invasion was stage-managed and another ‘Oppa Gangnam Style’  show to demean our intelligence.

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Full weight of law must fall on Lahad Datu intruders

MAT ZAIN IBRAHIM is former chief of the Kuala Lumpur Criminal Investigation Department.