Breaches in the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom)'s security zone have again caused another victim to be abducted.

The authorities responsible should be held accountable. The officers and armed forces responsible must be reprimanded.

It is so difficult to understand why such incidents are repeatedly befalling Sabah’s coastlines.

The latest abduction took place at a fish farm in Kunak, Sabah where a Malaysian fish farm owner and his Filipino worker were kidnapped by four gunmen few days ago.

This is the third cases in Sabah within just 3 months.

These terrorist and kidnapper syndicates have been systematically kidnapping the people in Sabah which has led

to people living along the coast to be very worried.

These incidents have also directly impacted incoming tourists and foreign investment while house prices in the area have dropped. Foreign investors also have no more confidence to invest in Sabah.

The kidnappers see that Sabah is the best area to search for preys and they have also challenged the credibility and the authoritativeness of the police and armed forces.

'No plan against terrorists '

Recurrence of these incidents shows that Esscom, which costs the Government millions of Ringgit to safeguard the security of Sabah, has failed to act as a deterrent against external threats like kidnapping, smuggling and other crimes.

We recognize that Sabah’s coastal lines are long and wide,  but this should not be an excuse for Esscom to lack in the protection of our shores and waterways from  intrusion. If we are not able to protect our very own tanah air , who else can?

The operation carried out by the police for Esscom is totally ineffective. There is no concrete plan against the terrorists.

Since the police and armed forces are incompetent, the government should act against the commanding officer of the Esscom.

Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein is urged to ensure that Esscom will cooperate with the Philippines, Brunei, and Sarawak to ensure the security of Sabah’s coastal lines. Esscom should not be left to being merely an armchair lip service.

I urge the government to disclose the names of the officers who neglected their duty. There is also a need for strategic guideline to declare a state of emergency in the safety zones to regain public confidence.

Lua Choon Hann is MCA central committee member and strategic planning and research committee chairperson