Former ESSCom commander unites agencies through his cooking

Who would have thought that former Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCom) commander Datuk Abdul Rashid Harun liked to cook to unite agencies under ESSCom.

Abdul Rashid, who was appointed as ESSCom's first commander on April 12, 2013, said his first challenge was to unite agencies under ESSCom which comprised the Malaysian Armed Forces, Malaysian Royal Police and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA).

"Each agency has their own doctrine and standard operating procedure (SOP) that must be complied with. So I need to unite the agencies through cooking. Since I love cooking, I would cook and invite them over to the house for lunch or dinner.

"During the meals, we casually discuss and share our views. So, when we work we are like a family," he said in a special interview to mark the fourth anniversary of ESSCom at Wisma Bernama recently.

He said, through this way, he was able to boost the esprit de corps among the ESSCom security personnel while reducing the gap between the 'bosses' and subordinates.

Abdul Rashid stressed that the success of an organisation did not solely depend on the assets owned but also on the cooperation and understanding forged among members of the team itself.

"We complement each other, working like a family, correcting the usual practices and getting accustomed with what is right. As a result of this practice, I had encountered no problems when I was attached to ESSCom," he said.

"After mobilising our assets and strategies, we pray for God's blessing. Thus, this is where we see the spiritual strength of our security force," he added.

The father of five ended his term as ESSCom commander on Dec 23, 2015 before being appointed as Sabah Police Commisioner on Jan 4 last year and retiring on Jan 2 this year.

ESSCom was established on April 1, 2013 following the Sulu terrorists intrusion in Tanduo, Lahad Datu and Simunul, in early February of the same year. -- Bernama