Embattled Prime Minister Najib Razak's government came in for a tongue-lashing for the confusion shrouding the Malaysian army's raid into a coastal village in Sabah, where 10 armed intruders from the Philippines and 2 Malaysian police commandos have reportedly been killed.
Kerajaan Malaysia di bawah kepimpinan Dato' Sri Najib Razak dan menteri yang bertanggungjawab menjaga urusan keselamatan dan pertahanan negara sewajarnya tampil menjelaskan kepada rakyat tentang peristiwa berdarah ini.
"The Malaysian government under the leadership of Najib Razak and his Cabinet are responsible for managing the safety and sovereignty of the country and they have to explain to the people why there has been bloodshed," Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim said in a statement.
"Why has it been so easy for security at our borders and shores to be breached by a group of armed foreign intruders and why has the government been so compromising in this matter. The issue of our country's security must not be taken lightly by government leaders. The people are entitled to be given all the necessary explanations as to why such an incident could have flared up."
Ambiguous Hisham
A standoff in the Lahad Datu village had suddenly erupted into violence this morning, surprising not only Malaysians but the entire Southeast Asian region which has been following the tense situation for more than 2 weeks.
A group of some 100 Filipinos claiming to be members of the Royal Army of the Sulu Sultanate had illegally landed by boats on Malaysian shores and have been holed up in the village in Lahad Datu, refusing to leave depite pleas from Philippine President Benigno Aquino.
"Where is the Defense Minister in all this, why is Hishammuddin raising more questions than answers," Najwan Halimi, an Opposition youth leader and the deputy Information chief of the PKR party had told Malaysia Chronicle.
Indeed, Malaysian Home Minister Hishamuddin Hussein gave a conflicting account of what had happened in Lahad Datu. While Abraham Idjirani, a spokesman for the Sulu group, had told reporters in Manila that 10 members were killed and four wounded, Hisham denied the news.
According to Hisham's rather ambiguous statement made on his Twitter account, the Filipinos had fired first. His statement left Malaysians wondering as to the actual number of casualties and if the raid had happened at all.
"I can confirm that our security forces did not fire them but it was the intruders that opened fire first at 10am," Hisham, who is Najib's cousin, said on his Twitter.
Lethal cocktail: Confusion and weak leadership
Since then the national news agency Bernama has reported that two police commando were killed by an exploding mortar bomb at the village, which reportedly had been turned into a fortress by the intruders. The two cops had been patrolling the posts around the village.
According to Bernama, the bodies of the two cops have been retrieved and put into a police truck, to be flown to the Lahad Datu Hospital.
Until 5pm Malaysian time, some 6 hours after news of the violence broke out, there is no official clarification from the Malaysian authorities as to what has happened.
From the latest Malaysian news reports, it appears that at least 3 men have been killed, 2 of whom were the cops and the third the owner of the house in which some of the armed group had been staying.
"This is a cause for grave concern. Against such inept leadership, we fear the lives of the 2 police personnel were lost unnecessarily. This is the price of the stupidity of the ministers involved and a lack of leadership at a time when it is most needed," said Najwan.
Political conspiracies
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Zahid Hamidi responded to the growing criticism, saying the Malaysian Cabinet had decided that only the Home Minister and the Inspector General of Police would issue statements on behalf of the government.
"It's not that I don't care about what is happening in Lahad Datu but the Cabinet has decided that only the Home Minister and Inspector-General of Police should issue the statements," Zahid said on his Twitter.
His comment bolstered the growing views of a conspiracy by the Najib administration to use the Sabah standoff as a tactic to rally sympathy votes for the coming general election.
"The question is why now. The Home Ministry and the Defense Ministry need to answer why was it so easy for the intruders to land on Malaysian shores. We have two Scorpene submarines, why couldn't we track these armed intruders. Why did we allow them to stay for 2 weeks before doing anything," said Najwan.
"Political conspiracies come in many forms, sometimes to the extent of sacrificing the lives of citizens, all for the sake of holding onto power."
The Sulu Sultan's brother who is also part of the group, was reported as saying they had been surrounded by Malaysian police, who have warned in recent days that a February 22 deadline for them to leave had passed.
“They are here, they entered our area so we have to defend ourselves. There’s shooting already. We’re surrounded. We will defend ourselves,” Agbimuddin Kiram told the radio station.
Meanwhile, Najib has called on the Sulu group to leave peacefully. However, his comments may be too little and too late.
“We have been very courteous in tackling the intrusion issue in Lahad Datu. We are trying to prevent bloodshed and to solve the issue nicely, but those involved must realise that what they did was a big and serious mistake. They should take our offer to withdraw from the area as soon as possible. The longer they stay, the more dangerous the situation will be for them,” Najib told reporters when asked to comment on the shootout.
Malaysia Chronicle
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