YONG URGED ZAHID AND HISHAM MUST QUIT OVER "INTRUSION"

By Admin....Sunday November 17, 2013

Former Sabah chief minister Yong Teck Lee says the murder-cum kidnap of tourists is "nothing less than another glaring armed intrusion" in the much trumpted Esscom

 




















KOTA KINABALU: Former Sabah chief minister Yong Teck Lee has called for heads to roll for the shocking failure to keep state’s borders safe yet again.

He said both the Defence and Home Affairs ministers must resign to take responsibility for the murder-cum-kidnap of two foreign tourists from a resort island off Semporna.

“It’s another glaring armed intrusion committed within the much trumpeted Esscom (Eastern Sabah Security Command) which supposedly has seven battalions of security forces in its command.

“It is as though Malaysia has learned nothing from the many kidnappings, murders and piracies in the last few decades.

“It is as though the men in our security forces have died in vain in fighting the Lahad Datu Kg. Tanduo intrusion earlier this year,” said Yong.

He went on to note that the latest crime reportedly occurred within only 1km from a Police General Operations Force base and the sound of the intruding boats could be heard from the resort.

“One wonders if there had been a bigger scale intrusion what would have happened?” he asked.

Lack of accountability

The poor public confidence from this incident would be enormous and Yong said the authorities must investigate the possibility of economic and security sabotage against Malaysia, especially Sabah by certain elements.

He expressed deep regret of the lack of accountability in the government as no minister or official had ever been held responsible for such crimes taking place with impunity.

“High officials especially those at Putrajaya, carry on like nothing has happened. The Home and Defence ministers, who not surprisingly, were the same two ministers who had swapped portfolios after the last GE must quit,” he said.

Yong, who is also president of Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), recalled how current Home minister, Zahid Hamidi (then Defence Minister), had on the eve of the last general elections claimed that three opposition leaders were behind the Tanduo intrusion in February this year.

Neither Zahid nor the government subsequently ever named or charged the three subsequently. “This kind of playing politics with security is most sickening,” said Yong...fmt