‘(This time) we exercised maximum restrain’

A Sabah native organisation calling itself Panas has warned rogue groups to rethink any plans to destabilise Sabah.

KOTA KINABALU: A local native party here said that genuine Sabahan natives were disturbed and angry over the incursions by the alleged Royal Sulu Army and the subsequent unnecessary bloodshed.

Warning future rogue groups to rethink their strategies, Sabah Native Cultural and Welfare Organisation (Panas) said natives won’t compromise with peace and security in the state.

Panas president, Samson Quintin, speaking to FMT said the current Tanduo occupation by armed foreign army should serve as a lesson for everyone.

“Intruders, more so armed, should never entertain such aspiration to instal a sultanate in Sabah as the natives never and would never recognise anyone claiming as sultan over Sabah.

“We hope such a incident in Lahad Datu would not recur and please do not ever disturb our peaceful lives here,” Quintin said adding that many local natives were incensed by the whole incidence.

According to Quintin, the Tanduo incidence had resulted in loss of billions of ringgits in revenue to Sabah through tourism, and other investments including the plantation sector.

He said enemies of the state must recognise that Malaysia would do whatever it takes to defend the sovereignty of Sabah, and that includes military action like in the Lahad Datu case.

“The natives too have right to defend Sabah. The natives are angry at those intruders and their sympathisers. (This time) we exercised maximum restraint,” he said.

He said the natives in Sabah were already stressed with so many problems and were fully supportive of the Malaysian security forces’ swift mop-up of threats off Sabah.

“We support our government’s action to protect the sovereignty of our country. We are saddened by loss of lives and that is the ultimate price one has to pay to protect sovereignty,” Quintin added.