NAJIB FUMBLED: Weak command structure, lack of coordination at Lahad Datu

UPDATE3 A retired senior general took Prime Minister Najib Razak to task for mishandling the Lahad Datu intrusion that has so far claimed 27 lives, eight of whom were Malaysian policemen, saying that the incident could have been resolved more swiftly and efficiently if the "command structure" had been clearly spelled out.

"I had my fears this question would be asked. This question requires a deliberate response. Here we are talking about the police and the armed forces. When you have that, you need a very clear command structure ... who coordinates ... and I think it was not there. Yes we have our strategic reserve and I think the reserve we have is quite  enough to take on the enemy and ake it off balance. That is the purpose of strategic reserve, if the the strategic reserve is deployed, the enemy is almost liquidated," Retired General Md Hashim Hussein told a press conference on Wednesday.

"If I can relate to Sauk a few years ago we actually managed to resolve the problem within 4 days but of course people will say it's a different scenario as apples and oranges. But within 4 days mind you, one, because of very clear command structure, two rapid deployment, very clear orders and command control plus we had the right troops to task."

CLICK TO WATCH VIDEO Lack of command structure in Lahad Datu - ex general

Hashim, a former top army general, was speaking at a press conference to announce his decision to join the PKR party led by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim. Anwar, who is also the de-facto head of the Pakatan Rakyat coalition, was present along with PKR vice president Chua Jui Meng.

Hashim was referring to the Sauk Siege or Operation Dawn that took place on July 5, 2000, when a a joint police and army operation overpowered armed members of extremist group Al-Maunah at Bukit Jenalik in Sauk, Perak.

Incompetence and slow reaction

The Najib administration has been sharply criticized for not being frank enough to the public about the Lahad Datu incident, in which Malaysian security forces had to be deployed to flush out a ragtag group of some 200 gunmen.

The intruders, who claim to be members of the Royal Army of Sulu, had slipped past Malaysia's security surveillance and landed by boats at a coastal village in Lahad Data, Sabah on February 12. Despite a February 22 deadline to leave, the gunmen refused to leave and even now, after 2 major strikes and a climbing death toll, insist they will stay until their mission - which they say is to reclaim Sabah for their Sultan - is complete.

"It was a success in so far as it was able to swiftly resolve the aggression. A lot of questions remain... was there some negotiations prior to that ... this is a problem that arises because you try to censor the media," Anwar told a press conference on Wednesday.

Indeed, due to the lack of information, there is widespread and huge speculation as to what really happened in Lahad Datu, with many newspapers in the Philippines have reported "atrocities" and high fatalities.

In Malaysia, according to Malay-language daily Utusan which is owned by Najib's Umno party, Tuesday's attack had resulted in the killing of 30 Sulu militants. The fate of the group’s leader, Azzimudie Kiram, was unknown despite rumours of his death, the newspaper added.

"There is a huge disconnect on what is reported here and what is reported in the Philippines. What Umno wants to do is to portray the Opposition leaders as having complicity in the aggression," said Anwar.

"But the point is, it's pathetic to have a national problem, a national security problem and you have the Umno leaders, Umno media trying to deflect (attention from) their own incompetence, their slow reaction, the failure of the prime minister and the minister of defense to even come out with a simple statement."

CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO Anwar on Lahad Datu

Laughing stock

Amid tremendous pressure from the public and the Opposition, a reluctant Najib finally gave the order to the police to try and evict the gunmen. But the March 1 operation failed, leaving 14 casualties of whom 2 were policemen. The next day, another violent skirmish at Semporna, some 150 km from Llahad Datu, took place, left 12 dead, six of whom where policemen.

As criticism swelled that he had misjudged the situation and should have sent in the army instead of the police, Najib gave the green light for a joint offensive on Tuesday. The police together with the Armed Forces attacked Kampong Tanduo, which is where the majority of the gunmen were believed to have been hiding. No firepower was spared, with F18 and Hawk fighter jets deployed to bomb a 4 km-square area.

However, despite the aerial pounding and sending in five battalions of soldiers, Malaysian authorities initially insisted they have yet to recover any bodies of the Filipino militants.

According to Inspector-General of Police  Ismail Omar, only one gunman was shot dead early this morning in a brief gunfire exchange between local security forces and the 200-strong followers of the Sulu sultanate,

“The intruders are moving to certain areas,” said Ismail at a press conference here today, but declined to specify.

High fatalities expected, efficiency and honesty needed

As public ridicule grew, Defense Minister released photographs of Sulu intruders killed in yesterday's heavy bombing. According to Zahid, at least 13 enemy combatants are dead.

"Given that the area marked out was only about 4km and there was heavy bombing, we had expected high death count. What was surprising was the delay in making public the information. It could be it is difficult to search through the debris or it could be Najib and (his party) Umno trying to gauge the public reaction to the high loss of lives," PKR vice president Chua Jui Meng, who was also at the press conference, told Malaysia Chronicle.

"Whatever it is, this is not acceptable. They are making the situation worse with their inefficiency and making the rest of the country look incompetent. You cannot govern or lead this way."

Jui Meng also urged Najib to put national interest ahead of his party's.

"This is a time when Malaysians should unite and look out for each other against a common enemy. We know there is a general election coming soon but let's not politicize the issue," Jui Meng told Malaysia Chronicle at the sidelines of the press conference.

"Put down your pride and let's sit together to resolve this matter. Otherwise, we will become even more of an international laughing stock and the image will stick that we are so incompetent that we can allow a group of armed men to slip in and out of our borders as they please. Worse still, after forcing us to use F18 and Hawk fighter jets to bomb them, they seem to have managed to escape."

Malaysia Chronicle