The Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) has been a “costly April Fool’s joke for Sabahans and Malaysians,” DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang said today, in branding the security body as a “white elephant”.

Lim ( centre in photo ) told a press conference at the Parliament lobby that Esscom became officially operational on April 1, 2013, and noted that the kidnapping at a resort in Semporna last week happened within hours of Esscom celebrating its first anniversary.

“It is a costly April Fool’s joke as it gave Sabahans a false sense of security that they are safe under Esscom's command,” Lim said.

He said the government should abolish Esscom should it be unable to vastly revamp the board in order to empower the command zone.

DAP's Kota Kinabalu MP Jimmy Wong said Esscom was set up "just to please the Sabahans" and was acting as a "puppet".
 
Yesterday, the Parliament had surprisingly allowed debate on a motion by DAP's Sandakan MP Stephen Wong on Esscom's weaknesses.

This morning, Stephen said the answers given by Shahidan Kassim. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, remain unsatisfactory.

 
Jimmy said the government must immediately "empower" Esscom as, despite being set up at a cost of RM300 million, it does not have the power to command or issue an order.