The fatal shootout off Semporna last night showed how little regard militants have for Malaysian premier Najib Abdul Razak, said Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng.

"On the same day the PM arrived in Sabah, the terrorists launched an attack. What is the message?

"They showed complete disregard, contempt and disrespect for him.

"This is just like throwing a shoe at Najib," Guan Eng (above) said at a press conference after attending DAP aide Teoh Beng Hock’s memorial service at Semenyih, Selangor today.

Guan Eng (left) said if the government cannot guarantee safety and the police can't even protect themselves, how can civilians be protected?

Eight militants were said to have landed in Mabul Island off Semporna last night.

A policeman was reportedly killed and another believed to be abducted.

Despite all the assurances by the BN government, they are not able to ensure peace and security in Sabah, Guan Eng said.

Avoid islands off Semporna

He added the setting up of the Sabah Eastern Security Command (Esscom) and its revamp was a waste of time and money.

"Both Esscom and Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi needs a big overhaul," he said, adding that he does not blame police but both ministers and Esscom.

Guan Eng, who visited Pulau Mabul 10 years ago, said he will not bring his family to the coastal areas in and off Sabah for now.

As the Penang chief minister and DAP secretary general, he advised Penangites and Malaysians to avoid the Sabah coast due to the security problems.

He especially named the coast and islands off Semporna as unsafe to visit, but said that people can still travel to other places like Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan.

However, Guan Eng added this was his personal view and was not an official advisory.

He also concurred with Tourism and Culture Minister Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, who has said Sabah's security poses a greater threat to the country's tourism than MH370 incident.

As such, he opined that the latest incident would further impact tourism nationwide, including in Penang, as the foreigners would perceive Penang to be close to Sabah as it is only two and a half hour’s flight away.

'Release the RCI report'

Meanwhile DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang said that there is no reason to further delay the release of the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Sabah's illegal immigrants.

The report was submitted to the Agong on April 15.

He said, Sabah's problem not only lies with abductions and rising crimes, but the lack internal defence.

The Gelang Patah parliamentarian believes that the premier had set up RCI to pacify the locals before last general poll, and there was no urgency to release the report after the victory of BN.

"What is the reason (for the government to withhold the report), unless the federal government was uncomfortable with RCI's recommendation," he said.

He also believes that the recommendations in the reports may have an impact the security problems in Sabah.

'Strike back'

 

Meanwhile, DAP's Kota Kinabalu MP Jimmy Wong described the attack as an act of war and urged to government to strike back, pledging the state opposition's support for any such effort.

 

"To Najib, they attacked us while you were leaving Sabah last night. They are provoking you, and they have drawn first blood.

"So I call upon the prime minister, who also is our commander-in-chief, to lead. 

 

"And when you do, I assure you, the rest of us will follow suit. Be a man, do the right thing, and solve this once and for all," Wong ( left ) said in a statement this afternoon.

 

He also called on the government to convene an emergency parliamentary sitting to address the matter.

 

"This is a national security crisis, and we in the opposition are ready to work with the government to act on this issue swiftly.

 

"It's high time for BN and Pakatan Rakyat politicians to put aside our differences and unite for a national cause," he said.

Fatal shootout at Pulau Mabul as Najib visits Sabah